


The odyssey of a townsperson b

by Phoebeseb888



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: ? - Freeform, Akiteru and Saeko will make and appearance, Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, High School, I changed their age difference, M/M, and his setter, eventually, small giant - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-13
Updated: 2019-07-02
Packaged: 2019-07-11 21:26:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 34,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15980825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phoebeseb888/pseuds/Phoebeseb888
Summary: "High school... finally!Well... perhaps finally isn't the best word... yet? Only...? Only seems the best word. 10 years into this hellhole and I still have 3 more to go. Goddammit! 3 more years... and the intensity of this torture just keeps going up..."Ukai and Takeda are both students at Karasuno and they meet on their first day of high school. With everything going on Ukai's mind, he pays no attention to it. Without both of them realising it, that chance encounter might just change their entire lives.Now the question is: for the better or for the worse?





	1. Pay attention, Ukai!

_High school... finally!_

_Well, perhaps finally isn't the right word.. Still? ‘High school.. still’ sounds more accurate. 10 years into this hellhole and I still have 3 more to go. Goddammit! 3 more years.. and the intensity of this torture just keeps going up.._

The frustration was evident. If this were a cartoon, he would have a cloud of dark fume coming out of his ears. However, unfortunately, it's not. You see, our main character is no anime character –no crazy hair, no amazing superpower, no amazing hidden talent, no nothing. He is just an average teenager about to start high school. Average looks, average intelligence, average dreams and ambitions. His only distinctive characteristics were his slightly above than average height and built, standing at 178cm tall, and his slightly below than average haircut.

 

“Ukai! UKAI!!” The scream startles him. Ukai turns around and sees his best friend from childhood, Yūsuke Takinoue, enthusiastically waving at him.

 

“Takinoue! It's been a while.. I haven't seen you all summer!” Ukai says. It's not that he didn't want to, but since he started working at his mother's shop, he's been busy. _At least I can cash in some money.. not a lot, but a little extra might come in handy,_ he thinks.

 

Takinoue jogs up to him and throws his right arm around his neck, face alight with a big smile.

 

“What the hell happened to your hair?”

 

Ukai's hand scratches his head. Head, not hair, since he shaved his hair completely during the summer.

 

“New school year, new me. That hair was getting old. Thought a change might be nice. Besides, the buzz-cut is  a really cool and intimidating style! If I want to join the crows, I would need a reputation to uphold.”

 

“Sure..” says the dirty blond-haired boy, half laughing, half seemingly unconvinced by the argument “You just want to look cool for the ladies!” he throws his head back, laughing out aloud.

 

“You talk like that and yet you are super excited to join the club. I ain't the only volleyball nerd in here!”

 

“True. Gotta give you that one. But before that we still need to go to that conference in the gym.”

 

“Ugh, don’t even mention it to me!” The annoyance was evident in Ukai's face and the volume of his voice was rising unintentionally. “I bet the director makes the same welcoming speech every year. Might as well just put a sign on the school gates saying ‘WELCOME’and call it a day.”

 

“A student's life is filled with pain and grieve” Takinoue says in a mocking tone, while raising both his hands towards the sky and looking up “May the gods have m- OUCH!”

 

Ukai hits him with his bag in an attempt to quiet him. Their antics were gathering a lot of attention from other students walking by.

 

He mutters a quiet _shut up_ and, grabbing his friend's arm, drags him towards the gym.

 

-《~•~》-

 

They both walk slowly as they are not in a dire need to arrive on time at the gym. During that small track, they see a lot of different faces. Some of then they can recognise as kids from around the town. Some of them they don't. Despite its location, Karasuno High School has built quite a reputation that attracts a lot of students from other parts of the Miyagi Prefecture. Karasuno has a lot of strong sport clubs, like the volleyball one, that have given it the reputation of a power-house, putting the small high school on the same level as other big named ones like Shiratorizawa Academy.

 

Since the school year started in April, their path was laden with fallen cherry blossoms.

 

 _The festival this year was beautiful,_ he thinks, _I hope that means something good will happen this year._

“Get your head out of the gutter.”Takinoue declares out-loud while slapping his back with more force than was strictly necessary  “I checked: were are in the same class which means that we can stand side by side in this welcoming conference.”

 

When they entere the gym, there was already a big crowd of students inside. They were being organized by some teachers into rows according to their class. They swiftly move in the direction they were pointed to. There, they find their friend Shimada Makoto, who politely waves at them.

 

“Isaved you guys a spot.” he says.

 

“Thanks man!” whispers Takinoue “the gang is finally complete. We have to do something after school to celebrate.”

 

“Can't.”declares Ukai, half-dejected and half-resigned with his fate “Istarted taking shifts at the store.”

 

“I can't believe this, the year has barely started and you are already busy.”

 

“Gotta make money when I can. I don't know if I’ll be able to keep this up when we start school for real, with all the homework and the tests.” He shrugs his shoulders, clearly not wanting to spare any more thoughts to the matter. Ukai doesn't like to overthink; he is more a going with the flow kind of person -plus, being in the volleyball club isn't a walk in the park!

 

“Uuuuh!”interferes Shimada, clearly interested in the change of topics. His eyes get really wide and he nearly jumps in excitement “I can't wait to join the club! Since I haven’t been able to practice spikes, I trained serving and man, I think I’ve improved!”

 

The blond-haired boy starts waving his arms around in a spiking motion. Takinoue drags his arms down, effectively stopping the spectacle that was attracting a lot of attention.

 

In that moment, the microphone on the stage pics up the sound of the director clearing his throat.

 

 _Here comes the boring speech_ , Ukai though, looking down.

 

-《~•~》-

 

Thankfully, the welcoming speech wasn’t very long. After that, the director briefly mentions some of the most important rules to pay attention to, but that doesn’t drag for long, as the students were (or should be) already aware of them. However, no matter how fast the event was it was still too long for Ukai. The boy just wanted to join the club and go home.

 

 _I must still be in the holiday mode..._ He mused _I have to get used to waking up early in the morning. Ughhh.. school is more work than it’s worth. I’ll probably end up working in the store, so why do I need to be here?_

His spiralling down into depression thoughts were quickly interrupted by his friend’s banter.

 

 _So loud and annoying,_ he thinks, _wouldn’t trade them for the world._

The corners of his mouth twitched. A smile started to appear on his face.

 

“Uh!? What are you smiling for? Did you see a cute girl passing by?” Shimada teases him. He makes a huge show looking around for a girl that he knew that didn't exist. The smile on Ukai's face disappeared as fast as it was formed. A frown took his place instead.

 

_I would sell them to Satan for a french fry._

“Sure. A massively cute girl just passed me by, short with curly hair and glasses that half covered her big brown eyes.” Everything, from his tone of speech to his posture transpired irony. It still amazes him how he could be so fond and yet so annoyed by his friends at the same time.

 

“Seems just like your type.” interjected Takinoue, wanting to be a part of the joke.

 

Ukai stopped the conversation short, before any more nonsense could be spewed.

 

After leaving the gym, he was focused on finding the volleyball club stall in order to sign up for for it. Each club had a small stall run by older students, usually third-years trying to recruit new people. These were spread all around the school ground, under no particular order. They made it this way so that no club was privileged over the others, giving the opportunity for all of them to talk to new students, whether they were a small club or a big one.

 

 _It's all fine and dandy in theory, but it makes it harder to track a specific club._ The search had even barely begun and Ukai was already loosing it’s patience.

 

They decide to separate themselves in order to cover more field. Divide and conquer; that was their strategy.

 

They go their separate ways, in hopes of finding the club. Ukai takes the path that leads to the school's main entrance.

 

There, he sees around 10 stalls. Their prospects don't look promising to him, since the students from the clubs closest to him are all wearing the school uniform. Usually, athletes used their sport's uniform, at least the jacket, to identify themselves and attract the younger student's attention. Besides, it was an effective way to show off, as if owning the jacket would grant them access to a secret club.

 

He saw none of that. Only regular students distributing pamphlets.

 

In his attempt to evade the circulating crowd on that area, he accelerates his pace while quickly side-stepping the various students, as if they were part of an obstacle course. In his distraction, he doesn't notice the person right in front of him in time. They both collide and the other student ends up falling in the floor.

 

“I'm really sorry!” Ukai apologises, bowing slightly.

 

“Don't worry, it's okay. It wasn't your fault, this place is quite crowded.”the student says, chuckling lightly.

 

That made Ukai raise his eyes from the floor and take a look at the student.

 _What are the odds?_ He thinks, chuckling slightly to himself. The boy in question was shorter than him, standing at around 166cm. He had a mop of dark brown curly hair that framed his round face. What caught his attention was the pair of glasses the boy was pushing up on his nose. Through those glasses, Ukai could see a pair of the most stunning brown eyes he ever laid his eyes on. Brightness and enthusiasm shone through them.

 

_Takinoue would have a blast if he saw him._

_Crap! I've been staring for too long!_ He chastises himself, cringing in his head.

 

“Hmm. Again, I'm sorry, I'll just” he makes the motion of pointing towards the end of the path he was walking in, making clear his intentions of leaving. He starts moving. He raises his leg, but his attempt of walking out was aborted when the other started talking.

 

“My name is Takeda Ittetsu! I'm a third year at Karasuno and I’m a part of the literature club.” His face is flushed red, as if saying those mere words were a strenuous effort.

 

“Oh, I'm sorry, senpai!” he says, voice unintentionally rising.He ends up bowing as an afterthought, since this boy was older than him.

 

 _What is wrong with me?_ he asks himself _I’m making a fool of my self by repeating the exact same thing. I sound like a broken record, perhaps at least he will take the hint that words are not my forte._

“There’s no need for that!”he exclaims, while waving his hands, making it clear that he thought the bowing was excessive on his part. The senior gets up in a jump and quickly brushes his uniform to get rid of the dirt. “As I was saying, I’m part of the literature club and if you are interested I could tell you a bit more about it.” He says, with enthusiasm.

 

“I’m sorry, senpai, but I was already planning on joining another club.”

 

“Oh.” After that statement, he looks down, hesitating on what to say next.

 

“So, I’m sorry for wasting your time. I will leave now.” Ukai spins around in a fast and precise movement, leaving no doubts that he was leaving. He doesn't spare a second glance behind, missing the dejected look on his senior’s face. He doesn’t spare a second thought on that awkward encounter that he was sure he would forget after a couple of hours.

 

 _Well, that was awkward_ , he muses, _now back to volleyball._

 

In that instant, he feels his phone vibrating in his pocket.

 

_A message from Shimada… guess he found the club._


	2. A lesson on how not to do a conversation, by Ukai

Time passes, and after a couple of weeks, Ukai has settled in on his new routine. Kind of…

 

It is a routine, one can’t argue with that: wake up, go to school, attend the day’s classes, go to the sports club, go home, study, go to bed.

 

Everyday was the same thing. The monotony of the situation wasn’t something that terribly bothered him. He would rather have a calm and relaxing day then one filled with drama he didn't want to partake. Classes were his biggest problem. It wasn't that he lacked intelligence. No, on the contrary, he needed to be clever in order to be a setter. The problem was how dull and uninteresting the classes were. He just couldn’t concentrate in something he had zero interest about. However, working hard at home compensated his lack of interest in school. He had to at least pass his classes, if he didn't want to miss practice due to additional classes meant for those that failed them.

 

Practice, on the other hand, was a completely different story. That was what made his days bearable. As soon as the bell rang, signaling the end of the last class of the day, Ukai was out of the classroom faster than one could blink.

 

However, until then, he was stuck inside the classroom.

 

_No one caaaaarrrrreeeesssss…_

 

The despair was obvious in his mind and obvious on his face. You see, since words are Ukai’s weak point, it’s only natural that the class he struggles the most is Japanese Literature. He wasn’t particularly good at any subject, but he struggled with that one.

 

_Who cares about the colour of the curtains in this chick’s room? If the author says they were red, that means they were red, period. So stop trying to find second meanings in that…_ he loudly exhales, catching the attention of his friend Takinoue, who gives him a questioning look.

 

In an attempt to disguise the eyeroll he felt coming, Ukai glances sideways, looking out of the window to the schoolyard. From his seat, he could see the top of the gym where the volleyball club’s practice took place. His thoughts inadvertently shift towards volleyball once again.

 

_Can’t wait for practice to start. Just 20 more minutes of this torture plus PE class and then I’m free!_ He mused, calculating mentally the time that separated his current depressed self, from his future happy self.

 

_PE ain’t that bad…_ he thought. _It’s just that volley is cooler._

_Cooler sport with nice senpais and a hardworking team._

His first practice had been the day after the welcoming ceremony. Despite his exterior calmness, Ukai was nervous. After all, he was joining a powerhouse level club. At first, he feared that he wouldn’t be good enough, as the club had the reputation of having really strong players. However, after joining, he found out that, no, the players in question were not superhuman beast. They were regular high school students: some more humble than the others, some funnier, some calmer, some more intimidating than the others and some made a tornado seem like a light breeze, such was their energy.

 

What made them outstanding at the sport was how hardworking and dedicated they were. Under the iron leadership of their coach, those middle school boys were transformed in strong players. He was the one that made the club a powerhouse team. He was the reason why Karasuno had the reputation it had. He was Ukai Ikkei, Keishin’s grandfather.

 

Having his grandfather has a coach wasn't as bad as he originally thought it would be. Inside the walls of the gym, they acted strictly as player and trainer. Ukai wasn’t favored and he didn't get any special treatment. To add onto that, his grandfather didn't over share any embarrassing family stories, which was what made Ukai anxious to start with. He didn't mind to find himself at the end of a harmless joke from time to time. _But please, let’s not talk about that fieldtrip to Nagasaki on the summer vacations when I was 8…_ he prayed constantly.

 

At first, his senpais were a bit reluctant when they found out about this fact. However, since it became apparent he wasn’t privileged because of that, their worries faded and practice moved forward.

 

The bell sound caught him of guard. He jumped from his chair, a fact that didn’t escape his friends, who laughed at his distraction.

 

“Daydreaming again?” asked Shimada.

 

Takinoue took this chance to tease him further by asking “Still thinking about that girl you saw on the first day of classes?”

 

“The only thing I dream about is volleyball.” He replied curtly. He had already learned his lesson from being teased so much: if you want to be left alone, just don’t go along with the joke and try to terminate it before it even begins.

 

“Well, only one hour separating you and your mistress, so let’s go change for PE” with this final sentence, Ukai gets forcibly dragged out of the classroom.

 

 

 

-《~•~》-

 

 

 

_Prrrrrrrr Prrrrrrr_

The sound of the whistle signals that the students on the field can take a break to rest and drink a bit of water. Sighs and other sounds of relief could be heard across the entire field.

 

Football wasn’t his favourite sport. It’s not that he was bad at it, but it just wasn’t volleyball. Besides, Ukai had to admit that even though it wasn’t his sport of election, playing it had its advantages. For starters it trained his footwork. Yes, volleyball is played with the hands and forearms, however, footwork is important in the sense that it helped to make movement on the court more easy and fluid. Second, you could practice teamwork and communication, both essential skills in any team sport. Third, and what Ukai found the most interesting, is that he could practice analyzing other players’ and try to predict their trajectories and future actions. That was a particularly useful skill for setters to have, since they were, many times, the mind behind the team plays. They gave the rest of the players the signals and had to decide where to set the ball to in a split second.

 

Ukai loved it. It made him feel important and useful. However, that was a double-edged sword. If the play turned out nicely, his chest would swell in pride, because it was his thinking that led them to score the point. On the other end, if they lost, he often chastised himself for his lack of foresight. Ukai was still learning not to blame himself for it.

 

He lifts the collar of his shirt to wipe of the sweat on this face. He sees Takinoue and Shimada resting on the shade of a tree and signals them that he is going to drink water by pointing at the closest water dispenser.

 

Unfortunately for him, about half of the class had the same train of thoughts and so there was a relatively big line just to get some water. Feeling like the wait was not worth it, Ukai decides to walk a bit more and drink from the water dispenser that was right next to the volley gym.

 

The trek wasn’t long. He knew a shortcut.

 

As he approached his destination, he could already hear sounds coming from the gym, meaning another class was playing volleyball inside.

 

_Lucky them_ , he thought half jealously, half bitterly. _I would be thrilled if sensei had us playing volleyball in PE._

_Hope they mop the floor before they leave. The last thing I want is to waste time moping other people’s sweat before starting the practice._

Fortunately, there is no water line. He drinks it in big gulps as if it were the first time he saw water in years. After that, he put his hands together bellow the tap and splashes water onto his face, using his shirt to wipe the dripping excess off.

 

As he turns around, he spots someone sitting at the bottom of the stairs, looking straight at him. His face looks vaguely familiar, though Ukai can’t pinpoint out the exact reason why.

 

_We must have crossed paths somewhere and his face must have stuck with me for some reason._ He shook his head in order to stop staring at the student’s face. Instead, his eyes were drawn lower to the boy’s foot that had a pack of ice over it.

 

“Sorry for staring…” the boy said, looking down.

 

“Ummmm… yeah, it’s okay.” Now, Ukai knew he wasn’t good with words, but that sorry excuse of a response was just pathetic.

 

_Come on, Ukai, get a grip! We both know you’re not good at talking to people, but don’t just stand there and stare!_ He found himself giving this small talk in his head. He simply just wasn’t good at talking to people for the first time. _That’s why I have, like, 3 friends._

 

The conversation started awkwardly, but the silence was even more awkward, so he tried to keep the conversation alive just enough so he could flee, without making himself look like a coward.

 

_But his eyes! They’re so big and penetrating…_

“Ummmm… are you alright?” he asked, while nodding his head in the direction of the boy’s foot.

 

_Nice one!_ He thought, giving himself a small high-five in his head.

 

“Oh, this?” the student asked, patting the ice pack “This is nothing! You see, I’m a bit clumsy and I slipped. It was no one’s fault but my own.” he was waving his hands in a dismissive gesture, trying to convince Ukai that his condition wasn’t the consequence of any sly play. How someone could smile in that condition was beyond Ukai’s understanding.

 

“So, I’m guessing there is no need to take you to the nurse's office.” He says, making it unclear whether he was making a statement or asking a question.

 

“No! No need for that! It’s not that bad and with the ice I’m already feeling better!” the student smiles again. 

 

“Well, it’s injuries like those that when left untreated can lead to big problems in the future, so be careful.” He advises “And you should also clean the floor to get rid of the sweat. That way, at least other people don’t slip!”

 

He cringed inwardly. _That sounded really rude and bossy…_

“Ok! I will tell them that!” he said, laughing quietly. He put little effort into getting back to his normal, non-shaking with laughter self and did a mock salute.

 

“Oh, by the way…” now the boy’s face was now completely serious. The change of his facial expression and tone was so fast that it left Ukai dumbfounded for a moment “… did you end up joining the club you were looking for?”

 

_Uh?_

 

That question left Ukai speechless. Apparently, the confusion was not only reserved to his mind, but it transpired in his face, letting everyone know how lost he truly was.

 

“Oh, last time we saw each other you said you were going to join some other club, so…” he passed his hand through his hair, clearly embarrassed by the awkward situation he brought upon himself.

 

“Uh?” Ukai seemed unable to form a better statement at the moment. He was still perplexed by the sudden turn of events.

 

_Crap, I should probably know him, but I don’t really remember who he is…_

_Think, THINK!_

_Who have I talked to in these weeks?_

_Should I say something?_

“Ummm…”

 

_Great! Nobel Prize for Literature right there… wait…_

Ukai looks up. He finally takes the time to really look at the student in question. He appeared to be slightly shorter than him. The big glasses and the mop of dark brown curls were the trigger that reminded Ukai of the boy’s identity.

 

“You’re the senpai from the poetry club!”

 

“It’s the literature club, but yes, that’s me.” He chuckled. The amusement on his face was evident. It is evident that he enjoyed watching Ukai’s face going from confusion, to pure panic, to ending up with an enlightened and yet relieved look.

 

_Oh, God. I made a fool of myself… again._

“Well this is embarrassing…if I knew you didn’t remember me, I would have started the conversation by reintroducing myself.” he said, blushing “My name is Takeda Ittetsu and I’m a third-year.”

 

The restart of the conversation was a relief for Ukai. Suddenly, all the tension and nervousness were gone and he could breathe and think clearly.

 

“My name is Ukai Keishin and I’m a first-year. I joined the volleyball club.”

 

“I should have guessed. Looking at your…” in here, Takeda hesitates on what to say next. He makes a waving up and down movement with his hand, which was directed at Ukai himself “… physique.” Both blush in various shades of red. One for saying something he considered so bold, the other for receiving the unexpected, indirect compliment.

 

“Sorry! It’s just that you clearly look like someone that does some type of sport. Muscles aren’t form out of thin air. You must work for it. I, on the other hand, am not that good at any sport. At all.” Takeda responds, saying each rapidly, as if getting it all out would diminish his level of embarrassment. He seemed satisfied with his response, smiling a little. That smile looked a little more forced at the end of the sentence, than it did in the beginning.

 

Ukai didn’t recover that quickly. He was still blushing. His attempts at recomposing himself were proven futile.

 

“W-well, at least your club helps you passing classes. Volley is cool but I’m barely passing Japanese Lit.” he says in an insecure fashion while trying to cheer the other up.

 

That response has the desired effect, since Takeda smile brightens a little.

 

“If you ever need any help with that, you can come to me that I will help you!”

 

_Is he trying to seduce me?_

“Anyway, you should probably head back to your class…” Takeda suggests.

 

_Crap… how long have I been here?_

“Yeah…” he whispers, almost inaudibly “Take care, Takeda-senpai.”

 

“See you around, Ukai.” Is the reply he gets.

 

Without waiting to se if the elder student has anything more to say, Ukai turns around and sprints back to the football field where the rest of the classroom was, praying that his absence wasn’t noticed.

 

For some reason, he had the feeling that he should save that conversation in his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, again, lovely people!
> 
> Here is the second update! This time it wasn't beta-read, so if you find any mistakes, please tell me.
> 
> Also, I don't have a fixed updating schedule, so they might take more time than this update did.
> 
> Comments are always appreciated and super important for me, so don't be shy!
> 
> See you on the next update! Bye, loves!


	3. Well, Ukai, will you accept the offer?

_Ugh…_

 

Ukai stretches his neck from side to side in an attempt to alleviate the dull yet ever present pain he was feeling there. 

 

_Ooouuuchhh…_

 

To say he was sore was an understatement. Practice the day before had pushed all the players to their limits, leaving many of them feeling pain all over their bodies. 

 

The coach had a motto to live by: the team is only as strong as its weakest player. In order to have strong players, he defended that, instead of focusing on one particular set of skills like Shiratorizawa did, a player should be well rounded. Despite the position they were attributed once on the court, they should be able to do plays outside of what was required by that same position. For instance, a setter should be able to receive in emergency situations. If the setter suddenly finds himself unable to set the ball, then another player must be apt to take his place. Every one but the libero should know how to spike and all the people on the front line should be able to block. 

 

As such, their practices were divided into two major parts, with a small break in between. The first part was the same for the entire team. This time, their coach made team train receives, since he thought that was their weak point. First, to warm up and train their endurance, Ukai Ikkei made the team run an insane amount of laps around the gym. After that, they had to execute the diving drills. Ukai was amazed and scared for his future self, as there were so many techniques he wasn’t aware of and that he would have to perfect. You had the “jump, dive and dig", “one knee dive", “bounce and dive" and many others. 

 

_How I didn't end up with holes on my practice gear from sliding on the floor so much is beyond me…_

 

After the break, Ukai trained exercises specifically designed for setters. Some of them were obvious like setting time after time for all the players on the team. Then, the coach recommended he do precision work out. His technique was good, but he needed more accuracy when setting. As a consequence of that, he spent the rest of the practice training alone, setting the ball to a precise location over and over again, even though there was no one there to receive it. 

 

It was a strenuous work out and the results weren’t obvious, but Ukai was a patient man. He believed that with time and perseverance, he could actually become a great setter. 

 

_Just how long will I take until I reach my senpai’s level?_

 

Karasuno had only one other setter besides Ukai. Hirohito Subaru, a third-year student, was Karasuno's only setter until Ukai joined. At first, they appeared to be polar opposites. Hirohito acted as a glue for the team, uniting all the players together. He was a naturally calm and nice person, talking only when it's necessary. However, his easy-going personality was not to be confused with laxity or negligence. Under his black bowl cut were a couple of the sharpest eyes on the entire team. Like a hawk, he could detect the slightest movement and perceive small changes in the player’s trajectories that might affect the team play. 

 

Not only that, but he was respected as a player and has a senpai. He didn't have an intimidating figure, which coupled with his nice smile and easy-going personality meant that the younger players could talk to him openly and ask for advice on how to improve their plays. Ukai spent a part of his practice the previous day with him giving pointers and he could only wish to be like him: to be the mastermind behind Karasuno and to lead his team to victory. The setter might not be the flashiest position with the most impressive moves, but the technique and the thought process inherent to each play was something admirable in his opinion. 

 

_But that’s in the future. For now I will have to practice more, which means being sore almost 24/7…_

He put his left hand on his right shoulder to massage it a bit, but he muscle was still incredibly tense. As such, he tried to stretch the shoulder joint by moving his arm around in circular motions. However, this attempt was rapidly aborted when he felt his elbow hit something solid. 

 

“Ouch" Ukai hears someone close to him say, followed by the sound of something hitting the floor.

 

He quickly turns around only to find a familiar sight. 

 

“Senpai… sorry!” he half yells, bowing slightly in the process. 

 

“Ukai-kun?” asked Takeda. He scrunched his eyes trying to see better. Then something clicks as he suddenly recognizes who is in front of him“ sorry, but I couldn't recognize you without my glasses…” At that, he chuckles embarrassedly. 

 

When Ukai looks at him, he notices the absence of his trademark glasses that engulf most of his face. He looks down, only to find the missing item. Feeling guilty, he quickly crouches down to pick them up. 

 

Without really thinking, he uses his shirt to roughly clean the glass lenses. The few centimeters of skin that were left exposed caught Takeda's attention, making him blush. He swiftly looks up, feeling ashamed by his momentary distraction. 

 

“Here.” Ukai says, giving Takeda his glasses.

 

“Thank you…” he replies hesitantly, not knowing what to say next. 

 

“We have to stop meeting like this. Is your foot better?” the setter asks. 

 

“Yes it is. Thank you for asking!” Takeda says excitedly. Then his tone turns more humble and shy “And let's just call truce. We were both very distracted." He scratches the back of his head embarrassedly. His hand goes through his curls, a movement that Ukai follows with his eyes.

 

At this, Takeda notices that they stopped in the middle of the school entrance to talk, so he makes a head motion indicating Ukai to follow him. They both walk slowly in companionable silence to the main building, where the classrooms were located. 

 

It's when they enter the building that they both realize they will have to part ways. Their shoe lockers are far away from each other since they are organized by class and their classrooms are in different floors. They both turn, facing one another. 

 

“So this is goodbye?” 

 

“Senpai, you are saying that like we will never see each other again…” Ukai says in a mocking tone. 

 

“Yes, you're right! I’ll see you around.” Takeda states with a somewhat uncertain look in his face. He smiles sadly and was about to turn his back to Ukai when suddenly he spins around and says, with an excited tone “Oh, and by the way, my offer still stands: if you need help with your literature class, you can talk to me!” 

 

“Thank you senpai! See ya!” Ukai says, waving at Takeda that waves back in a more excited manner. 

 

They both go their separate ways after that small encounter. The conversation, however, doesn’t leave Ukai's mind. 

 

_What are the odds? I have to pay more attention to where I’m going…_

_Senpai surely is really nice. I make him fall and hit him in the face with my elbow and he is still talking to me. He even offered to tutor me!_

 

He is repeating the conversation in his head multiple times, which makes him chuckle. Even though it was a low volume laugh, the fact that he had such a visible reaction to a conversation happening in his mind made him blush. 

 

_I’m laughing but I should probably take him up on his offer…_

_He is so nice. He didn't have to do it._

And then, something clicks in his mind. 

 

_Are we friends?_

The thought shouldn’t be as surprising to him as it actually was. It wasn’t that Ukai was bad at making friends, no. He had a decent sized group if people that he could call friends. Takinoue and Shimada were his closest ones, but he could also call the volleyball team and the students in his classroom his friends. The thing is, he made friends, not because he was looking for them, but they just happened to be be thrown in his life. Takeda was the first one that he had nothing in common with. They were neither on the same team nor on the same classroom. In fact, it would be pretty easy to avoid each other. So it baffled Ukai that his senpai was making attempts to, apparently, keep in touch. Why is that? Ukai had no idea how to act in this case. 

 

Despite the supposedly simple topic, he got lost in his thoughts, so much that he didn’t even notice that he passed straight through his friends without even saying so much as an hello. 

 

“Don't think to hard! I don’t know if your poor little brain can handle it!” Shimada says loudly in a mocking tone. 

 

That catches Ukai’s attention, making him stop and turn around, just in time to see his friends jog to catch up to him. 

 

“Speaking from experience?” he retorts, trying, but failing to contain his laugh.

 

“Ah ah ah, very funny” Shimada responds, clearly not amused by the attempt of a joke that Ukai made.

 

“Instead of arguing, you two princesses should focus on a real example of intellect, of excellency like you have never seen before!” Takinoue exclaims, pointing to himself, in what he assumes to be a theatric tone, but it is only ridiculous to Ukai. He had to admit though, that the almost fainting motion his friend did was somewhat funny, due to how over the top and out of place it was.

 

“Just because you managed to answer correctly to the question the science teacher asked you yesterday, it doesn't mean you are now an example of excellency.” Shimada says, making air quotation marks on the last part.

 

“Let’s just get going, otherwise we will be late.” Ukai interjects, trying to prevent his friends from doing anything more that could permanently harm their reputation.

 

_Not that we have any to begin with, but still…_

“You were the one that took forever to arrive” they both say, at the same time. “Did your morning beauty routine take too long? With a face like that, I would just give up…” Shimada decides to add, to tease Ukai even further.

 

The setter simply decides to ignore him, sighing loudly. He turns around and starts walking in the direction of his classroom.

 

 

-《~•~》-

 

 

Later that day, the three high school students find themselves in Ukai’s room.

 

They had made the habit of going there after school. First, they started that routine by stopping at Sakanoshita Store to buy some snacks. Then, when school started to get more intense and homework started to pile up, all of them agreed to go to Ukai’s house to study, since the house was on top of the store.

 

Even though none of them were brilliant at any subject, they weren’t bad either, so that arrangement came as an advantage, since they could help each other on their weak points: Ukai was bad at literature, but he was somewhat good at home economics and math; Takinoue liked to brag about his excellency in the science field, specially when electronics were involved, but he struggled with history; Shimada, on the other hand, balanced them out by being good at history and English, but bad at physics and chemistry. Overall, they were a well-balanced group, where each member complemented one another.

 

Their problem, at the moment, lied in the motivation to do anything. They didn't have any test knocking at their door and so, without the sense of urgency, studying didn't come at the top of their priority list. To add on top of that, they had had practice that day, meaning they were physically drained.

 

“Okay, I get it but this is useless.” Takinoue says, resting his head on the palm of his hand. He rubbed his eyes, which were half-closed due to the exhaustion caused by time he spent trying to concentrate on the words in his textbook “Science matters, math matters to some, I can even argue and say that literature is somewhat useful,” his voice tone rises, such is the frustration he feels for the topic that he is speaking about “but History is just about the most boring and useless thing ever!”

 

“No, it’s not!” Shimada says, outraged by hat he just heard “it is super important to now about how our culture came to be. It is important to know about the mistakes people made before us in order not to make them again!” his passion on the topic was evident in his eyes and on the way he waved his hands around.

 

“Ok, I’ll give that to you. It’s important to know those things, but not on the extent that they are teaching us. Teach us the major important events that shaped our country. I know war is bad. And don't worry, I will not invade any country. Isn’t that good enough?” the frustration was evident on Takinoue’s face.

 

“Why would you have to make such decision? No idiot would ever vote for you.” Ukai says, trying to alleviate the mood and the tension on the room.

 

“Exactly! He is right.” His friend says, pointing at Ukai to show his agreement. The arm that was swung quickly to Ukai’s direction startled him, awakening him from the half-sleep state he was in “I will probably end up working at a store or as a business man somewhere. I won’t have a say in any important decision, so just give me a history for dummies class, not this hell!”

 

“Well, whether you like it or not, you still have to know all of this, so start studying” Shimada says, annoyed by the turn the conversation had taken and trying to quickly stop it before Takinoue screams loud enough to be heard across the small town “If you don’t have any problem memorizing cheat codes for games, you’ll have no problem memorizing a couple of dates and names!”

 

These words effectively end the discussion and the group gets back to work.

 

“Hey, I don’t want to be the guy that interrupts study time…” Ukai starts saying, only to be interrupted by Takinoue that murmuring a quiet “Please do”.

 

After that interruption he proceeds.

 

“…but are you guys understanding anything about the Lit classes?”

 

“Honestly,” Shimada answers, his eyes betraying how tired he is “I’m also having trouble understanding it. Like, I get what he is saying, but I also feel like there are probably 5 layers of hidden meaning that I’m not getting.”

 

Ukai, in his desperate state, even turns his head at his other friend, who is equally as bad at that class as he is.

 

“Don’t look at me!” Takinoue blurts out quickly, raising his hands in a defensive gesture “I’m as lost as you are.”

 

“There must be someone in our class that knows the answer. We just have to ask them. Do you guys know anyone?” Shimada asks.

 

“Do I look like someone that hangs with poetry boys?” the blond says. “We should just call it a night. We ain’t getting anywhere with how tired we are. Might as well just go play some video games.”

 

All of them promptly agree. They were all tired from practice and from studying after it, so they just wanted a break to relax, but none of them wanted to be the one to suggest it. So of course, Takinoue’s offer was accepted like a blessing.

 

It was only minutes later in the middle of an intense race of Mario Kart that Ukai fully processes what was said. An idea suddenly pops up in his mind and his head whips up so fast that, for a moment, the distraction makes him loose focus on the game for a few seconds, enough for his character on the screen to fall of the rainbow road.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WELL, UKAI, DO YOU HAPPEN TO KNOW ANY POETRY BOY?
> 
> Again, thank you for reading this! Your kudos and comments mean everything to me. This was not beta-read, so if you notice any mistakes, please do tell me. 
> 
> I forgot to mention this in previous chapters but my Tumblr username is phoebeseb, so if you want to check it out, you know where I am.
> 
> P.S. Did you know that I to write this chapter, I consulted a Japanese baby naming website? Hirohito means "plentiful benevolence or goodwill/abundant benevolence" and Subaru means "one who is uniting". Since I had the chance to create a character and had to give it a name, at least the name fits the character. I will probably do this any time I have to introduce a new character.
> 
> P.P.S. I am always Toad when I play Mario Kart and I always choose the baby stroller. Not the fastest, but definitely the cutest.


	4. Ukai's useless pep talks and even more useless friends

_Tadao, Taji, Takeo… Dammit, not in this one._

_This one doesn't even have anyone whose name starts with a T…_

_Taichi, Tatsuya. Nope, not here…_

_Takako,Takashi, TAKEDA!! YES! Takeda Ittetsu!_

Ukai raises his arm, fist clenched in a victory gesture. In his excitement, he even mutters a quiet “Yes" and smiles a little. The only thing that stopped him from jumping up and down like a little kid that was offered candy is the sudden realization that he was in a public place where everyone could see him. 

 

After the previous day's enlightenment, Ukai was set on waking up earlier in order to arrive to school with time to spare. During that extra time, he dedicated himself to finding out Takeda's class. He knew his senpai was a third year, so that narrowed down the search a little. However, with five classes, Ukai started to get desperate when he didn't find him in the first three of them. 

 

Takeda Ittetsu was on class 3-D, which was located on the third floor. Karasuno had a fairly simple way of organizing where each class took place: first-years on the first floor, second-years on the second and third-years on the third floor. A-class was on the left side of the building and E-class on the right side, with a large corridor spanning from one end to the other. 

 

This layout made it easy for everyone, from students to teachers, to know where their classroom was held. That, however, created a problem for Ukai. Since there was a separation by years that meant that there was less contact between the first years and their senpais. As such, if he went to the third floor he would stand out like a sore thumb. That meant more attention drawn to himself, which could mean a bigger crowd to watch him if he manages to embarrass himself. 

 

In order to avoid going there, Ukai even contemplated passing by the literature club room and ask him. Fewer people meant a smaller crowd to watch the spectacle. Despite that advantage, the idea was rapidly discarded as all clubs activities happened around the same time, meaning that if he wanted to find Takeda there, he would have to skip practice, which for him wasn’t even an option. Besides, he also didn't know where the club was held, so he would still have to inquire about the club’s whereabouts. 

 

_So going to his class is my best shot._

_It's ok. Play it cool. You won't say anything embarrassing. It’s not like you will be making a love declaration… people don't care. I bet a lot of people go upstairs to talk to the senpais. They are regular students, with regular lives, not some mystical creatures…_

The pep talk Ukai was giving himself on his head was not working. Ukai was a man of habits and what he was planning to do was so out of his routine that it was giving him a minor panic attack. The rational part of his brain understood that it was a simple task where little to nothing could go wrong. However, despite all logical arguments, there was always that little voice on the back of his head that was always bringing him down by imagining all the possible scenarios that could go wrong. Rationally, Ukai knew that he was more likely to win the lottery than to see some of those scenarios happening, but despite all that, he couldn’t help the little nervous feeling that he had at the bottom of his stomach. 

 

_Deep breaths… being nervous will get you nowhere._

 

And so Ukai spent the first half of his day restless and jittery. He couldn't pay attention in his classes and he wasn't really listening to his friend’s conversations during the breaks. After a while, even Takinoue and Shimada knew that something was up with Ukai, but judging by the serious and contemplative he was sporting, they decided not to bother him with questions, leaving him to himself. Ukai appreciated it. Sometimes, you need your friend's love and support, but other times it's best to be left alone to sort your problems on your own.

 

~《☆•☆》~ 

 

The bell rang, signaling the start of the lunch break.

 

As soon as the teacher said “Class dismissed", Ukai was up. The movement was so fast, that the chair fell backwards with a loud thud, making all eyes in the classroom turn towards him. 

 

“Oh crap!” he whispered. 

 

_This is not a great start for my quest. Just hope that this isn’t a bad omen…_

He turns to his friends and says, “Look, I have to go to do something, so bye.” The short message leaves no room for a follow up question or an offer of help, so with that, he quickly bolts out of the classroom, in the direction of the stairs. 

 

He quickly goes up to the third floor, sometimes skipping a step, as he couldn't wait to get there. When he arrives, he has to pause for a bit to catch his breath. After that, he starts walking through the corridor. 

 

Despite Ukai's previous paranoia, no one pays him much attention. The students are more interested in their lunches and conversations than some student passing by. The fact that Ukai is tall for a first year certainly seems to help him blend in, making him seem older than he is. That makes him less nervous. He keeps going forward in wide steps, sticking to his side of the corridor. 

 

_3-B_

_3-C_

_3-D, there it is!_

The classroom was just like any other classroom in the school, so Ukai had no reason to feel as nervous he felt when he saw the door marked with a 3-D plaque. What made his heart skip a bit was not the classroom itself, but who was in there.

 

He counted to three, breathing in slowly in order to calm himself. Then, he stepped forward. 

 

As he started walking, the door sprung open. Coming out of the classroom was Kenzou Akio, the captain of the volleyball club, wing spiker and ace, followed by Hirohito Subaru, the third-year setter. Although Kenzou had an intimidating figure, which was only exacerbated by the amount of titles he managed to collect during his high school volley career, he was a very down-to-earth person, just like the setter. He still liked to show of his strength to the younger players, but it was never done in a threatening way, choosing instead to use it to help others. That was why he was made the captain of the team and why the rest of the players liked him. 

 

“Oh, hi, Ukai-kun! Wasn't expecting seeing you here.” Kenzou said. His face showed uncertainty, as he has no clue about the reason why he found his kouhai in front of his classroom “Need help with something?” 

 

“Is Takeda-senpai in the classroom?” Ukai asked reluctantly, embarrassed by encountering his senpais there, which, in retrospective, shouldn’t be a surprising fact, given that they were both third-years.

 

“Takeda Ittetsu?” Hirohito replied, “Yes, he is here.” He then turns around, means against the door and proceeds to talk to someone inside. From where Ukai is standing he can faintly hear his senpai saying “Takeda-kun, there is someone here that wants to talk to you.” 

 

When Hirohito turns back, facing Ukai again he says, “Well, he is coming out. We were just leaving to buy some juice, so bye! See you at practice.” He lazily waves, while simultaneously he starts walking in the direction he was going prior to being interrupted. Kenzou follows him, waving at Ukai and smiling a little. 

 

_So cool…_

“Ukai-kun?” Takeda asked, clearly surprised by the visit. His mouth, however, was twitching, as Takeda was trying not to show his happiness and enthusiasm to his visitor. 

 

Ukai cleared his throat. 

 

“Ah, yes… umm” he hesitated. Despite having a clear purpose, Ukai had no idea what to say. In all the scenarios he built in his mind prior to coming there, he never actually reached the part where they talked to Takeda. Those daydreams were focused in arriving to the classroom, so Ukai was stunted. 

 

_Guess I overestimated my ability to make a decent conversation… what's wrong with me? I’m not usually this bad._

 

Ukai tried to hide the blush that was quickly spreading all over his cheeks. 

 

“To what to I owe the pleasure of this visit?” Takeda questions lowly, also trying to hide his embarrassment. 

 

That seems to take Ukai out of his stupor. 

 

“Do you remember what you told me yesterday? In the morning? You said if I needed help with my literature class that you could…” Ukai started answering Takeda in a really fast pace. So fast, that Takeda was having trouble understanding what he was saying. The confusion present all over his face was misunderstood by Ukai. The setter thought his senpai had forgotten his proposition all altogether, which made him slow down his speech, until he eventually stopped altogether, uneasiness evident on his semblance. 

 

“Ok, just… I'll go" he starts backing down, mortified because all of his fears of public embarrassment were coming true. 

 

What Ukai fails to see is the moment where it clicks in Takeda’s mind. He suddenly smiles brightly and tries to take Ukai out of his misery by saying “Oh, I remember!” 

 

“You do?” Ukai replies, hope filling his eyes. 

 

“Yes! And the offer still stands. If you need help with any classes, I can tutor you!” Takeda’s smile was so dazzling that Ukai, for a couple of moments, had to turn his eyes away to look at anything other than the student in front of him. 

 

“That would be great, yes.” Ukai bows a little smiling shyly. By instinct, his hand goes to the back of his head, scratching the little hairs growing there.

 

“So when are you free?” Takeda asks, looking up hopefully. 

 

_Uuuhhhhh???_

_Oh yes, for tutoring… why else would he ask that?_

“Well, I have practice every day in the afternoon, so it’s either after that, during the weekend, or during the day, if I have a free period. I don't have any classes after lunch on Friday, so if it’s ok with you…” 

 

“Oh, Friday afternoon is great for me!” Takeda smiles and gives him a thumbs up to show his approval “So we can start by meeting Friday in the library?” 

 

“Yeah, I can work with that… thank you, Takeda-senpai.” He says in a low voice, bowing simultaneously. “Now if you'll excuse me, I’ll have to get back to my classroom to have lunch before the next class starts.” 

 

“Yes, yes! Go now!” Takeda makes a shooing motion, indicating that he could leave “And don't forget about Friday!” he adds. 

 

“Don't worry" Ukai says in a mocking tone “ I won't leave you hanging!” 

 

He turns around and starts walking his way towards where he came from. 

 

~《☆•☆》~

 

Upon returning to his classroom, Ukai finds himself to be under the scrutiny of his friend’s questioning gaze. He quickly goes to his desk, pulls out his chair, and collapses there.

 

“Well, what was that about?”Takinoue asks.

 

“What was what?” is Ukai’s reply.

 

“This conversation has barely even started and it’s already a mess.” Shimada states, his fingers resting on his temple, massaging it, exhaustion clear on his face.

 

“Well, as soon as the bell rang, you got up and ran out of here.”Takinoue clarifies “Everyone was staring at you... you should have seen it! Even Misaki-san! Honestly, we both thought that you were dying to take a shit...”

 

“WHAT?”Ukai was dying of embarrassment “Please tell me Misaki-san doesn't think that... oh God, no...”Misaki was the most popular girl in class. Small, feminine and with a cute laugh. Every guy there has had a small crush on her at some point in time.

 

“Eh, probably not... so what was it about?”both of his friends leaned forwards, showing a clear interest in whatever Ukai was about to say.

 

Ukai stopped eating to reply to them, “It was no big deal. I went to talk to a senpai. I still need help with literature class, otherwise I will fail the tests and Takeda-senpai can help with that.”

 

“Wait, wait, wait”Takinoue interrupts him, clearly shocked by what he just heard. “You talked to a senpai who doesn’t belong to the volleyball team? I didn’t know you were a social person that had more than two friends!” Takinoue was smilling brightly. At that, Ukai’s eyebrows twitch, his annoyance made evident by that unvoluntary movement. “But now be honest with me: is she cute?”his attempt at being discreet ruined by the boisterous laugh that followed.

 

“Well, senpai is a he, but yes, he IS cute” now it’s Ukai’s turn to laugh at his friend’s shocked expressions.

 

“We didn’t know that about you, but eh, we don’t judge here...” Shimada says with a sudden serious expression that didn’t belong in the conversation they were having. Ukai decided not to reply to that.

 

“You laugh now, but when I pass those tests, I’ll be the one laughing...”

 

The conversation eventually fades and shifts to other topics until the lunch break end, with the bell signaling the beggining of the class.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you, Japanese baby naming website,  
> for allowing me to name characters. Kenzou means "strong and healthy" and Akio means "bright man, manly, hero". Misaki means "The beautiful newly-grown flower". Neither of them have a particular relevant part in this story, but I just think that by giving names to the people around Ukai the story will feel more real, even if they are not crucial to the story. If you have not guessed it yet, both of these lovely characters are inspired by Sugamama and Dadchi and I totally ship them, even though I created them and won't do anything about it. It's just that setter x wing spiker and captain x vice captain are the best ships ever.
> 
> Thank you, college,  
> for giving me a mental breakdown and for keeping me so busy that I barely have time to write. Updates will be much slower from now on.
> 
> And last but definitely now least
> 
> Thank you, people that leave likes and kudos, because you are the reason that make me keep writing.


	5. Ukai's Love/Hate relationship with libraries

The days passed quickly, too quickly for Ukai’s liking, until they reached Friday. Then, no matter what he wished for, no matter how many times he looked at the clock, time just would not pass.

 

_Tick_

_Tock_

_Tick_

_Tock_

_Tick_

_Tock_

Ukai could swear that the class he was in had been going on for hours. He would look at the clock and it would tell him that only five minutes went by and yet those five minutes felt like two hours for him.

 

_Forget about complicated mathematical and physics demonstrations... relativity of time is being proven right here, right now. All you have to do is to sit in this class and hear sensei talk about whatever. Five seconds here can stretch up to three centuries. Where is my Nobel Prize for this?_

_What even is the subject of this class?_

Ukai looks down to his notebook, which contains only the date and some side doodles. Beside his notebook stands his school manual, opened in the page indicated by the teacher. He looks at it and quickly remembers. _Oh right, this is Japanese Literature... I shouldn’t be zoning out. This is why I need Takeda-senpai’s help._

_Alright. Alright... FOCUS!_

_Yes, texts and poems! Look at the book and read._

_Is the book’s cover black or a really dark grey?_

Obviously, Ukai’s attempts at focusing on what the teacher was saying were completely futile. He usually didn’t have that much difficulty in paying attention, but with everything going on in his mind, that simple task was proven to be quite hard to accomplish. He couldn’t help but to be nervous, even though he has had a lot of study sessions with his friends. He tried to dismiss the feeling, claiming in his mind that it was due to the fact that he was studying with Takeda. In his eyes, even though they had barely talked up to that point, his senpai was a symbol of intelligence to him. Deep down, he just wanted to make a good impression. His goal was not to make a fool out of himself in front of him.

 

He didn’t know where this feeling of wanting to impress someone came from. Ukai has never worried before about impressing his friends. But then again, they have known each other for so long that they were well pass the impressing stage. They knew each other for so long that they were practically family. They knew each other’s families and the door to their houses was always open, whether it was for dinner or for a night in. It was nice. It was more than nice in Ukai’s opinion. It is friendships like those that last.

 

Yet, even though he knew all of their secrets and they knew his, Ukai still hasn’t really told them about Takeda. Sure, his name was brought up in the conversation that happened after he went visit Takeda in the third floor, but his friends were focused more on the fact that he went upstairs to talk to an older student then on the student himself. In fact, after that conversation (that Ukai wished he could erase from his mind) the topic was never brought up again. So, it wasn’t like the setter was actively hiding his new friend. If Takinoue and Shimada wanted to know more, all they needed to do was ask. Not that he would be able to supply with loads of information, but Ukai was an honest person. Ask and you shall receive. Even so, he never told them about his plan to meet with Takeda in the library.

 

So no, he wasn’t keeping a secret. Takeda wasn’t his dirty little secret. However, for the first time in forever, he wasn’t exactly an open book. He wasn’t dying to tell his friends about his plans yet. He wanted to cherish this new friendship he was forming for a little while longer and keep it just to himself. Just for a while longer. Then, his friends may come along and ruin whatever image Ukai has worked so hard to built for himself.

 

_But let me have this just for a while..._

The class was nearing its end. Apparently, staring at the clock can make the time slow down, but daydreaming makes it run faster.

 

After the bell rang, the mood in the classroom turned from tiredness and boredom to a more joyous and relaxed one. Having the free afternoon can do that. As soon as the teacher left the classroom, chairs were heard scraping across the room as little groups of friends were formed all round. Some picked up their bags and left the classroom, no doubt having already planned to have lunch somewhere else. Others, like Ukai’s little group of friends, simply took their bento lunch boxes out of their backpacks and started eating it on the table they were gathered around.

 

“So me and this idiot were talking,” starts Shimada, pointing at Takinoue, who upon hearing his nickname says an indignant _Ehhhh_. “As I was saying, we were talking and I need to go to town to buy new kneepads. As amazing as it seems, these last weeks have completely ruined my old trusted ones, thanks to the receiving exercises coach makes us constantly do.”

 

At this, Shimada’s speech gets interrupted by Ukai that asks “And when did you two talk about this? I don’t remember any of this...” and then jokingly he adds, “I can’t believe that we are drifting apart. Years of friendship and all it took was a few weeks of high school to break our bond.” Ukai pretends to wipe away a tear that isn’t there.

 

“Shut up!” Shimada interjects, laughing “We were talking on the phone yesterday and that came up, so, do you want to go?”

 

“Actually I have to stay behind and study, because things are getting ugly.”

 

Takinoue cups his hands around his mouth and whispers _Neeeerrrrdddd_ prolonging the word and saying it loud enough for people around them to hear him.

 

Ukai was actually thankful for this turn of events. Their friends weren’t questioning his reason for staying behind nor were they insisting on his presence during the shopping trip. That means that Ukai can easily go meet Takeda without a police worthy questioning and without fear of being interrupted.

 

As their lunch came to an end, Takinoue and Shimada started to collect their things and hastily packing them in their bags. They leave the classroom with a wave and a quiet “See ya!”

 

After this, Ukai takes a moment to collect himself. He packs slowly, not in a rush to get there.

 

_Although arriving late would be a terrible first impression._

_Oh God..._

_Calm down! Breath in, hold it for five seconds, breath out._

Ukai repeated this exercise a couple more times, before getting up and leaving.

 

The school library was in an adjacent building, opposite to the sports fields. Ukai never felt more out of his comfort zone. Now that he thought about it, this would be his first time stepping foot inside Karasuno’s library. Up until now, there wasn’t a point for him to go there. He studied at night with his friends after practice and during the weekends.

 

So it was with the daunting realization that he had no idea what to expect that he walked inside the building. The library had a small hall isolated from the rest of the library where students could leave their umbrellas and such. Peering through the window that separated the smaller division from the larger one, Ukai tried to see if Takeda was already inside.

 

After a few seconds of searching he spots at the far corner someone hunched over a book reading intently. He could only see the student’s hair, which was an unruly mess of curls. _Bingo!_

Ukai slowly opens the door to walk inside. The screech that follows is enough to gather him a few mean looks. However, he pays them little attention, given that it wasn’t his fault that the hinges of the door were not oiled properly. The only advantage of this entrance was that the boy hunched over the book suddenly looks up and Ukai can confirm his suspicion: it was indeed Takeda. When the older student spots him, he gives a weak and shy wave, motioning him to come closer.

 

Ukai starts walking towards him while trying to make as little noise as possible. Despite his efforts, the floor still creeks a bit at every step. He cringes inward as he has never been more aware of how loud his steps were. It’s not that his steps were particularly loud. In any other environment, one wouldn’t even notice them. The problem is the silence inside the library. It’s like going to the kitchen to get a snack in the middle of the night. At that time, everything is so quiet that a minimal noise will seem really loud.

 

And so, Ukai walks slowly in Takeda’s direction. When he arrives at the table, he carefully lays his bag on top of it. However, he still fails in keeping it quiet. The scrapping of the chair that follows makes him wince, an expression that Takeda doesn’t miss.

 

“Don’t worry.” He whispers. His says it so lowly that Ukai almost has to read his lips in order to understand it. “I wasn’t expecting so many people to be here, that might complicate things.”

 

Indeed, as Ukai looks around, the library is decently populated. Not overly crowded, but with enough people to fill about half it’s capacity.

 

_Strange how there are so many people here, even though we are still in the first month of school. Perhaps they are like me and are already fearing the impending doom that are the oncoming tests._

He starts unpacking his books and notebook, putting them down on the table as quietly as he could. The sound they made when they hit the table still echoed throughout the room. Takeda can´t help but chuckle at Ukai’s failed attempts at preserving the silence. That sound gathers them more unwanted looks from the people close by. One person even goes as far as saying _Shhhhhh!_ The older student quickly covers his mouth, regretting that slip up, embarrassment clear all over his face, which in turn makes it hard for Ukai to contain his laugh.

 

Takeda puts his finger in front of his lips pleading for silence. He opens one of his notebooks and tears the last page. There, he writes on the top: _We have to be quiet!_

They both take a few seconds to try and calm down. This will be harder that they both thought. If a sound as low a door opening or a small chuckled can be received so poorly by the people there, talking, even if it’s whispering, would be impossible.

 

 _I swear I’m not usually this bad... it’s just that your entrance was so funny that I couldn't help but laugh..._ says the paper that Takeda passed to Ukai. He then writes

 

_I just feel so out of place. I have never stepped a foot in this library._

 

He passes the note to Takeda, who quickly answers with _Like a fish out of water. To be honest, I wasn’t expecting the library to be this crowded. This will make it harder to explain things to you since we can’t talk. I don’t know if we can do this..._

Reading that makes Ukai strangely sad. He spent the entire week looking for this meet up, only for it to be cancelled within five minutes. And it wasn’t even his fault, which made things even more frustrating. It’s as if it wasn’t meant to be. No matter what he did, the outcome would have always been the same.

 

 _Let’s go outside._ Takeda wrote.

 

Not even five minutes after walking in, Ukai finds himself walking out of the library, heart sunk to the bottom of his stomach. He was dreading the inevitable.

 

“So, where are we going to study?”

 

_Uh???_

It was amazing how a couple of words are able to change so drastically a person’s mood. Seven simple words were capable to erase Ukai’s self-doubting thoughts and bring a smile to his face.

 

“We are still going to study?” he asks, incredulously.

 

“Well, of course! I promised you that I would help you, so I won’t abandon you. So where to?”

 

“Well, besides the library, unless we find an empty classroom I don’t know where we can study.”

 

Takeda seems to consider that idea. After a few seconds of contemplation, a look of sadness takes over his face. “I don’t think we can just walk inside a classroom to study. Many of them have classes going on inside, so those are already excluded. Others are working as clubrooms, so I don’t think we can use those. I would suggest we use the literature clubroom, but I don't have the key...”

 

He gets back to his thinking mode. Ukai is simply lost, as he sees no solution to the problem they are facing.

 

“Oh, wait! What time do you need to be here to go to the volleyball practice?” he asks, as a hopeful glint surges in his eyes and starts spreading to his entire face.

 

“Um, 4:30 pm.” Ukai answers, baffled by the course their conversation had taken. “Why?”

 

Takeda smiles. Not a small and shy smile, but his big trademark smile – all teeth and gum and full of determination. “It is currently 1:30 pm, which means we have 3 hours until your club starts. My house is a 40-minute walk away from here, but if we get lucky with the bus we can get there in 30. So one hour total for your journey from and to here, which leaves us with 2 hours to study!”

 

_What?_

 

It doesn´t need saying that Ukai wasn´t expecting that. He didn’t expect to be invited to his senpai’s house, a senpai that, despite everything, he didn’t know much of. And yet, he couldn´t deny how logical that solution was. At home, you are at ease and can make whatever noise you want. You don’t have a schedule and, most importantly, you had snacks available. He couldn’t deny that it was a sound argument.

 

“We can go to my house instead. It’s closer.” The look of surprise in Takeda’s face was mirrored in Ukai’s head, because he didn’t even think before he speaking. He just blurted that out. “15 minutes. It’s just going down the hill, right in front of the bus stop.”

 

“Oh, is it close to that store? Uhm... what’s it’s name... Sakanoshita?”

 

“It’s right on top of it. My family owns the store.” He explains to the older boy, shyly.

 

“Well, then let’s get going!” he grabs Ukai by the arm and promptly starts dragging him along the way towards the school’s gate.

 

If a few hours ago someone told Ukai that he would end up bringing Takeda to his home, he wouldn’t believe it. However, he can’t exactly complain with the way things have turned out.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry
> 
> for taking so long to update, but in these last few weeks, college has been ruthless with the amount of work that has fallen on my lap. But thankfully now I've got things under a somewhat shaky control.
> 
> So, because of that, let me remind you again that I don't have a regular updating schedule. What I'm also lacking is a beta-reader that can check for any mistakes, so if you see any, please tell me.
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and get ready for the next one! 
> 
> cue in an evil laugh and thunder sounds


	6. 1 unread message

 

Despite having planned their study trip down to the second, after the initial hurry of leaving Karasuno High School they slow down to a somewhat decent pace – not a casual stroll, but also not the hurried fast steps of someone that’s in a hurry. The school stood on top of a small hill, so in order to go to Ukai’s house, they needed to go down that steep path.

 

It was nearing the end of April. Although the peak of the cherry blossom season had already passed, spring was well set in. The vegetation that during winter was bare of any life or colour was now thriving. Luscious greens in all different shades surrounded their path and many flowers had already started to bloom, creating a bucolic scenery. A nice breeze was blowing all around them, just enough to rustle some leaves and went flying in the air until they eventually landed in the ground, framing their path. Whenever their conversation paused, the sound of cicadas could be heard in the distance.

 

Almost as if they were aware of the beauty around them, the conversation was held in a low tone, in order not to disturb the scene.

 

“So you said your house was right by Sakanoshita store, right?” asked Takeda, trying to strike up a conversation.

 

“Yup… that's my family’s shop. From my mother's side, that’s why the names don’t match. We live on top of it.” Ukai explained.

 

“Really? I’ve been there a couple of times to get something to eat before taking the bus home, but I’ve never seen you there.” He clarifies. Then, he adds in a low voice _Pity_ , almost as if he didn’t want Ukai to hear it.

 

“I usually only work there during the summer or other hollidays, so it’s natural that many of the students here don’t even know that it’s my family's business.”

 

“So does that mean that you get free food from there?” Takeda asks with a cunning smile and a mischievous look to his eyes.

 

That makes Ukai laugh out loud.

 

When the laughter starts to fade, he wipes the tears that were rolling down his cheek and replies, “I wish! But my mother won’t let me… she knows that if I could take food for free or even if I got a discount I would always take food from the shelves. Plus, my friends would ask me for food discounts, which would lead the business to bankruptcy. It’s never a good idea to give free food to permanently hungry teenagers.”

 

“Well that makes sense…” says Takeda with a dejected look on his face. “Makes even more sense if you are athletes! It must take a lot of food to build up so much muscle!”

 

At that, Ukai nearly chokes. He turns his face away from Takeda, trying to hide his intense blush.

 

“Senpai, don’t say that! The way you talk makes us look like we're bodybuilders…” he says, shyly.

 

“What? It’s true! You are only a first-year and you are almost 20 cm taller than me, a third-year! And don’t argue and say it’s genetic, because nearly everyone that plays some sort of sport is somewhat tall, so that must be related" Takeda states this as if it were some undeniable scientific fact. His fingers start scratching his chin and his eyes take on a pensive look, making him appear to be in deep thoughts.

 

“Our libero is short-" when he realises what he is saying, Ukai slowly adds “-er. Shorter.”

 

Takeda quickly catches on to Ukai's hesitation. He squints his eyes and asks, “How tall is he?”

 

Realising he got caught, the setter dejectedly answers “Around your height.”

 

“I knew it… how can your shortest player still be around my height? A normal person's height! That’s just unfair.” He whines.

 

“I don’t know! But it’s not like volleyball made us taller! It’s not like I would get taller if I suddenly started playing basketball. It doesn’t work like that!”

 

Despite their heated argument, their voices remained fairly low. Someone passing by was more likely to hear their lazy steps on the sidewalk than understand what their hushed voices were muttering.

 

Understanding that his first argument was clearly not working to his favour, Takeda switches strategies.

 

“Well, you might have won the genetic lottery there, but what about muscles? I look like a stick next to you. Your bicep is nearly the size of my head!”

 

Ukai couldn't help but blush at that. _I’m becoming more and more like a schoolgirl,_ he thinks. _Common, Ukai, het a grip!_

“Hey! That’s not true… it’s only about half the size of your head!” he complains. He then raises his arm and puts it right next to Takeda's head in order to prove his point, which in turn makes Takeda laugh.

 

Suddenly, Takeda grabs his bicep and squeezes it.

 

“It might not be right now, but I can bet when you reach your third year here it will be. See how dense it is?” he asks, squeezing it again.

 

“Senpai!” Ukai whines. This was not his proudest moment.

 

All their bantering ends up gathering the attention of a small group of high school girls passing by that start giggling. When they notice that their laughter got the boys’ attention, they quickly stop giggling and fasten their pace.

 

Despite knowing that the giggling wasn’t done with any ill intentions, that effectively makes them quiet down, as they become aware of what their little friendly argument might look to the passer by. The embarrassment makes them fasten their pace and as such, they finish their journey faster.

 

They both go up the stairs leading to Ukai’s house. He quickly pulls out his keys and opens the door with a quiet “I’m home!”

 

His voice echoes through the place, making it seem louder than it actually was.

 

“Looks like my mum isn’t home.” He states. Then he adds, “Let’s go to my room. I usually study there and at this time of the day, the lighting is better there anyway.”

 

They both crouch down to remove their shoes and quickly proceed to go Ukai’s room. Ukai has a brief moment of panic where he wonders how messy and unorganized is room is.

 

_I should have thought about this before suggesting my room... what if it looks like a bomb landed there? What will senpai think?_

_Think!_

_I didn’t make my bed this morning, but I organized my things during the weekend. Kind of? Yesterday I did the laundry, so there won’t be any disgusting pieces of dirty clothes... please let it be somewhat decent!_

When he opens his door, his worries fade, as the room looks fairly clean. Ukai is mildly impressed with himself. Even so, he feels obligated to mutter a “Sorry about the mess...”.

 

“Oh, don’t worry, mine isn’t much better!” Takeda replies with a giggle.

 

In all fairness, the room was above the average in terms of tidiness when compared to other teenage boys. The bed was unmade, but there wasn’t a humongous pile of clothes strewn around the floor. There were only a couple of sweaters and jackets hanging from his desk chair. His desk was small, with only one computer standing on top of it. In the middle of the room, there was a low table, where many of Ukai’s books were left open. That didn’t bother Ukai, as it made it seem like the spent the previous day studying intensively instead of despairing like he had.

 

Takeda spends a few seconds examining the room, but after that he goes straight to the table and sits down on the floor. He stretches his legs forward and starts unpacking his backpack, removing the books he might need.

 

Ukai sits beside him, thus initiating the study session.

 

 

~《0•0》~

 

 

It goes better than Ukai expected. Not that he had bad expectations to begin with. He just didn’t know what to expect and that made him nervous.

 

However, his fears had no foundation. Takeda, as his previous experiences had shown, was a kind and, more importantly, patient person. Patient enough to explain once, twice, multiple times the topics to Ukai until he understood them. He came prepared too: he gave Ukai a list of the most common words that have some sort of symbolism behind them and even gave some hints and tricks to interpret texts. Honestly, Ukai felt like he learnt more in those three hours than in almost two months of school.

 

At some point during their study meeting, he mentions that.

 

“You would be a great teacher. I’ve learnt more from you than from that crappy teacher.” He grumbles, resting the side of his face in the cool surface table.

 

That leaves Takeda blushing. Whether it’s from the compliment or from the honestly visible in Ukai’s voice and in his eyes, he couldn’t tell, but the blush didn’t escape him. There was no way he wouldn’t have noticed it, as he was staring right to Takeda’s face.

 

Ukai’s exhaustion was evident, lowering his eyelids. Those hooded eyes were so intense that Takeda felt like he was staring right to his soul. That left him nervous. So much so, that Takeda has to avert his eyes, facing the table for a couple of seconds.

 

Trying to break the tension that had risen exponentially with a simple question, Takeda replies quickly, voice slightly higher and thinner than he would like it to be.

 

“I have actually thought about it. I really like literature and I would like to spread the love to other people. I feel like most don’t like it because of the way it is taught, so a teaching career would be the obvious answer.” He says. A smile breaks on his face and his eyes start shinning, as it his a topic dear to his heart.

 

“Well, you should. I’m not saying that everyone would love it, but at least it wouldn’t be the pure torture that this class is. I think some would love it, some would grow to accept and appreciate it and others, although indifferent, might at least recognize its value and importance.”

 

Takeda’s eyes widen. He wasn’t expecting such a serious response from Ukai.

 

“You really think so? I fear I’ll be too nervous and too jittery to do any proper teaching.” Takeda replies, worry evident in his voice.

 

“I’m sure of it. If you can teach me, you can teach anyone.”

 

Takeda smiles. That smile, however, is different from any other smiles that Ukai has seen of him. It’s neither the nervous smile, nor the embarrassed one or that big and hopeful smile that stretches from ear to ear. It’s a small but warm smile filled with pure unfiltered joy and appreciation, almost shy but not quite. Ukai feels like an intruder, like he should not have witnessed that smile. And yet he is thankful for seeing it.

 

 

~《0•0》~

 

 

Unfortunately, like all good things, their time came to an end as Ukai had to leave to go to volleyball practice.

 

Both of them slowly got up, aware that as soon as they step foot out of the house, their little bubble of relaxed happiness would come to an end.

 

They put their shoes on and leave, going down the flight of stairs.

 

In front of the store stands an intersection and it is there where their paths diverge. Ukai will go towards the school direction, up the hill and Takeda will go left, in the direction of the bus stop.

 

Even though it is the exact same journey he made some mere three hours before, Ukai feels like a different person. It’s strange how a couple of hours can change the way you think about someone. Before, Ukai thought of Takeda as a nice and helpful senpai, a possible friend. Now, not only was the friendship confirmed, but it was also consolidated. They had talked about a great number of things and Ukai left his house feeling like he had found a confident. So much had changed in so little, time and yet everything around him remained the same.

 

So of course, Ukai being Ukai, decided not to overthink things. He mulled his thoughts over while playing volleyball, unloading his frustrations in the game. So much had happened during that day that Ukai didn’t even want to process the turn of events.

 

It was only after he left the shower and went to his room that he bothered to check his phone.

 

_1 unread message_

From Takeda-senpai:

I hope the practice goes well! See you next week! :)

 

 

_Why am I surprised that he uses emojis?_

_Cute..._

One of the many things that changed during that day, besides the gigantic bruise that appeared on his knees after a particularly nasty receive, was the new addition to his contact list on his phone.

 

 

To Takeda-senpai:

It went as well as it can go when you have a beast of a coach.

Friday after practice, right?

 

 

One of the many things they spoke about was a future study meeting. They had agreed to meet every Friday so that they could study what was taught in class during that week. That way, he wouldn’t lag behind. Plus, Takeda was fast becoming one of Ukai’s closest friends, so it was a way for them to meet, since they were in different classes and almost never crossed paths during the day.

 

A _ping_ coming from his phone alerted Ukai to the arrival of a new message.

 

 

From Takeda-senpai:

Yes, Friday after practice. This time, it’s in my house, so I’ll wait for you at the gates.

 

 

From Takeda-senpai:

Also, I’ve been wandering, are you related to the volleyball team’s coach, Ukai-sensei?

 

 

That makes him laugh out loud.

 

 

To Takeda-senpai:

Yes, he is my grandfather. Embarrassing... There was one time when I called him grandpa in the middle of practice. It doesn’t need saying that the team laughed at me for like a week, despite knowing that we are family. 

It’s also confusing because he his grandpa at home but coach at school...

 

 

Their texting continues for a while longer, until Ukai’s mother calls him for dinner.

 

 

~《0•0》~

 

 

It’s amazing how one simple change in one’s routine can make the day-to-day life look completely different.

 

Knowing that he can count on Takeda has taken a huge weight out of his shoulders. Not only because he doesn’t have the permanent thought of “ _You will fail Japanese Lit class”_ hovering in his head anymore, but also because they have been texting somewhat frequently. Those simple and sometimes funny text can make him smile, lighting him up even during a dark moment.

 

Even Takinoue and Shimada have caught onto it. It’s not like he his sacrificing time with them just to be with Takeda. It’s just that they have noticed the increasing amount of texts Ukai has been receiving, as well as the little smile he has when he reads them.

 

“Who are you texting?” Takinoue asks with a sly smile, wiggling his eyebrows.

 

“Not a girl, that’s for sure, so you can stop with that!” Ukai half-states, half-yells, throwing a pillow to his friend’s face.

 

“Look” Shimada interrupts, “we’ve said that we don’t care about that here.”

 

It takes a moment for Ukai to fully process the meaning of what Shimada just said. It makes Ukai blush furiously and yelp in return a loud “IT’S NOT LIKE THAT!”

 

“Takeda-senpai is just nice enough to give me some much needed lessons about Lit. He is the reason we won’t fail those tests. Plus we are friends, so it’s normal for us to text and talk with each other.” He later adds.

 

“You don’t text us this much.” Shimada points out quickly.

 

“That’s because I see you guys everyday.”

 

“But I bet you don’t smile like that when you receive our texts.” Takinoue counters.

 

“That’s because you guys are idiots.” He says. “Takeda is nice.”

 

_And clever, funny and cute._

_Wait..._

_It’s not like that. Not that there is anything wrong with liking boys, it’s just that that’s not me. I like girls._

He gives a tiny mental nod, as if the argument was settled there.

 

“Let’s get back to work.” He says, unenthusiastically.

 

And so, the three of them get back to their ritual after-volley study meeting.

 

 

~《0•0》~

 

 

Friday comes faster than expected. The day goes by faster than expected. By the end of the volleyball’s practice, Ukai feels slightly jittery, like the nervous feeling at the bottom of his stomach that has been accumulating all day is ready to burst. It’s not the first time they have had a study meeting, but it’s the first time he will go to Takeda’s house.

 

He finishes dressing up quickly and starts walking out of the locker room long before any of his teammates. He sends a quick text to Takeda.

 

 

To Takeda-senpai:

Practice is over. I’m heading towards the school gates.

 

 

From Takeda-senpai:

Already waiting for you there.

 

 

He smiles and fastens his pace.

 

Indeed, there was Takeda. Since practice ended up late, it was already dark and as such he couldn’t see clearly who the person standing in front of the gates was. However, since there was only one person there and that person started waving furiously when they spotted him, it was clear it was Takeda.

 

“Hello! Hope you didn’t wait here too long.” He says.

 

“It’s ok.” Takeda answers with a smile “But let’s leave right now. Those clouds don’t look very nice.”

 

They both look up. The dark clouds had been looming threateningly over them throughout the entire day, ready to burst. They had spent the entire day in an uneasy suspense, waiting for rain. The dark clouds blocked the sun, effectively taking away most of the natural light. The day was gloomy and the general mood was down and dulled, just like the present day.

 

Not wanting to get wet, both of the students rushed down the hill. Fortunately, they only had to wait a couple of minutes for the bus. 15 minutes later they reached Takeda’s house.

 

“I’m home!” Takeda says loudly, happier than he is allowed to be for a day like that in Ukai’s opinion.

 

“Welcome back!” is the reply that they get. From a room to their right, that Ukai guesses is the kitchen from the amazing smell, comes a slightly chubby woman, Takeda’s mother, smiling and wiping her hands on a kitchen towel.

 

“Thank you for having me.” says Ukai, bowing slightly.

 

“It’s no problem. I’m making dinner and it will be ready in an hour. I hope you like green curry, because that’s the menu for tonight! In the meantime you can go upstairs and do what you came to do.” she says, smiling.

 

_So that’s where Takeda got his smile from._

 

He bows once again, before retreating with Takeda to his room upstairs.

 

“Senpai...?” Ukai asks reluctantly.

 

“Yes, Ukai-kun?” Takeda replies.

 

“I hope I’m not being a hassle, but can I have a shower? I’ll be quick. Five minutes tops. This smell is the worst part of volley...”

 

“Of course, let me show you the bathroom and give you some towels. I’ll get everything ready here and even sneak up some snack. You must be hungry!” Takeda says.

 

 

~《0•0》~

 

 

Five minutes later Ukai was coming out of the shower, feeling ten times better. He put on his school uniform since the more comfortable practice gear was so soaked up with sweat that it was out of the question. He even felt clever for having the foresight to put a new pair of underwear and socks on his bag, meaning he was now wearing clean clothes, not dirty ones.

 

He goes to Takeda’s room to ask where he should leave the wet towel.

 

When he opens the door, he finds Takeda’s mother there, talking with the older student. When they spot him, she says

 

“It’s raining like crazy outside! I just talking with Takeda explaining that if the rain doesn’t stop, it’s probably a better idea for you to spend the night in here.”

 

As if to prove her point, a loud bolt of thunder is heard, the lightning illuminating the room for a split second.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If for the last chapter I said sorry for making you guys wait a couple of weeks, I must now beg for forgiveness. Sorry for making you guys wait for so long, but college loves making people suffer. I hope the wait was worth it.
> 
> We have now passed the 100 hits and have 26 kudos which is more than I was expecting for my first fanfic ever! Also 4 bookmarks! Wow... THANK YOU SO MUCH!
> 
> What did you think about this chapter?  
> I usually have like one major event for each chapter but a lot has happened here, so I hope it doesn't feel too rushed.  
> As always, I don't have a beta reader, so if you spot any mistakes tell me and I will fix them.
> 
> I will live solely for your kudos and comment from now on. 
> 
> Bye! See you next chapter!


	7. Family name

“I'm sorry, Ukai-kun, but I’m afraid that tonight you will be staying with us. You should text your parents so that they don’t get worried" Takeda's mother says with an apologetic look in her eyes. 

 

“Thank you for having me.” He says, bowing slightly “I should have guessed that something like this could happen given the weather…” a sheepish smile takes over his face and his hand goes up to the back of his neck, scratching it in embarrassment. 

 

“It’s not your fault! There is no way you could have known that! Well, I’ll leave you boys alone to study" she smiles one last time before leaving the room. 

 

_How can someone smile so much? My cheeks would be hurting by now!_

 

_Guess now I know where senpai gets that smile from…_

 

He smiles shyly. An unwanted hue of red seeps through his cheeks, something that doesn’t go unnoticed by Takeda, who smiles, deciding not to point it out. 

 

He clears his throat. 

 

“Well, I know it’s not part of the plan, but since you’re here, we might as well start studying" Takeda declares quietly. Then, a mischievous glint crosses his eyes. He brings his index finger to his mouth, resting it on top of his Cupid bow, a movement that Ukai can’t help but follow. With a sly smile he adds “If we are fast enough and finish everything before dinner, we might get to watch a movie after!” 

 

That was all the motivation Ukai needed. 

 

“Deal! Let me just text my mum to tell her I won’t be home for tonight.” 

 

After fishing his phone out of his backpack and sending a quick message to his mother, Ukai sits down and starts unpacking the books he will need. 

 

In truth, there isn’t much to catch up in his Japanese literature class. It had been one week since they had studied at Ukai's house during the afternoon and as such, they only had to go over the topics that had been taught in the last week. As such, they finish studying it fairly quick, faster than both of them were anticipating. Takeda was a good teacher and Ukai was a good student and a fast learner under the right conditions. The method they had going on worked for both of them, so it was not surprising that their studying time was as productive as it was. 

 

After that, they start doing their homework. Ukai opens up his physics book and notebook. The teacher had left some exercises to do during the weekend and he planned to do them as early as possible. 

 

_If I do them now, I won’t have to worry about them later, meaning I will have a weekend free to do what I want…_

 

It's not that he is particularly good at it. To be honest, Ukai doesn’t consider himself particularly good at anything besides volleyball and he even has some doubts about that. Sure he is better than the average person at the sport and some might even call him a good setter, but that’s just what he is. Good. Not great, just good enough. 

 

It goes without saying that he wasn’t feeling incredibly motivated to do the remaining homework. His mind was so busy thinking about other things that it left no room to resolve physics problems. 

 

He finds himself looking at Takeda. He isn’t doing anything outstanding. He is just sitting there and writing, focusing on his homework. And yet, despite that, Ukai can’t take his eyes off him. He can´t help but notice the thin wrist that moves franticly in order to create that pristine calligraphy on the paper. He can’t help to notice the way the bites his bottom lip when he is focused on his work or the way his forehead scrunches when he doesn’t understand something. They are polar opposites, Ukai thinks. A first year and a third year. One rather short for his age and the other taller for his. To be honest, Takeda wasn’t as short as Ukai’s mind painted him. He was 166cm, which admittedly was a few centimeters bellow average, but still a respectable height. The problem here was that Ukai was a full 7 cm above said average. He towered above the majority of the students in his class, but he was about the average height when it came to the volleyball players in his club. Used to be surrounded by huge people, he started considering himself the average, forgetting that the people in his club do not reflect the reality.

 

_What the hell is up with this club that only attracts giants?_

_No wonder that Takeda looks tiny next to me..._

However, their differences don’t stop with their heights. Their built and manners contribute to that difference. Takeda was a rather skinny boy, pale and with little to no muscle development. He wasn´t fragile or sickly looking, no, he looked healthy, but he wasn’t the definition of strength either. It didn’t help that he was quiet around people he doesn’t know, having the tendency to look down when walking. That made him look smaller than he actually is. Ukai, on the other hand, had tanned skin and years spent training had given him a decently thick layer of muscles beneath his skin as well as some confidence to his step. Whereas one was brutish and ruff around the edges, the other was softer and well spoken.

 

_No wonder he looks so cute. Smaller things are cuter. That’s practically science, isn’t it? That’s why I find him so cute..._

Suddenly, as if sensing the stare directed to him, Takeda lifts his head, looking right back at Ukai.

 

It’s only when he’s trying to make his facial expression as neutral as possible that he realizes he was smiling in the first place. Instead of looking down to his notebook or looking away like any other normal person would, he keeps staring. He couldn’t take his eyes away then and he can’t take his eyes away now. Surprisingly, Takeda doesn’t drop his stare either, resulting in both of them staring at each other, uninterruptedly, for a while.

 

Then, there is a knock at the door.

 

It creaks open slowly, attracting the boys’ attention.

 

“Dinner is ready, boys!” says Takeda’s mother, her head peaking behind the door. “I called you, but it seems that none of you heard me.”

 

She exists the room, leaving the students alone again.

 

They both blush, aware of the intense atmosphere that had been rising in the room. Truthfully, it had been going only for a couple of seconds, but that was enough to leave them feeling a bit awkward.

 

_What the hell was happening there?_

 

~(^-^)~

 

Dinner was a quiet, but comfortable affair. Takeda’s father got held up in work, so it was only he, Takeda and his mother. The conversation flowed nicely, with Takeda talking to his mother about his day. The conversation inadvertently shifts to Ukai and how he met Takeda. It’s a relaxed thing. Despite all the questions, he doesn’t like he’s being interrogated. Takeda’s mother makes him feel welcomed, just like Takeda.

 

_It’s meeting a friend’s parents, not your future spouse’s... no reason to be worried._

After diner, they help cleaning the table and taking the dishes to the kitchen. Ukai tries to offer a hand and volunteers to wash the dishes, but Takeda’s mother quickly shoos them out of the kitchen, claiming that he his a guest and guests shouldn’t be concerned with that.

 

He tries to insist once more, but he soon realizes that it will get him nowhere. Apparently, Takeda’s mother is as headstrong as her son and once they are set on something, there is nothing that will make them stop or give up that idea.

 

Resign to his fate, he retreats from the kitchen, entering the living room where Takeda is waiting for him. Takeda smiles and says

 

“A promise is a promise. I said that if we finished everything before dinner we could watch a movie, so here we are! It’s actually better than I planned, because mum said we could watch it here, instead of my laptop.”

 

“Finally!” he says, sighing loudly and dramatically “I was getting cross-eyed from staring at my physics homework. One more minute and I fear that my head would explode!”

 

That poor excuse of a joke has the intended effect on Takeda, making him laugh a bit. He sits down on the couch and turns on the TV. That his all the invitation Ukai needs to sit down as well, making himself comfortable.

 

The older student starts zapping through the channels to see if there is any interesting movie on. He does it at a fairly quick pace, not stopping for more than a second in each since nothing seems to catch the boys’ attention.

 

Then suddenly, he stops hesitating on pressing the button again. That hesitation catches Ukai’s attention, whose stare was more focused on Takeda’s face or hands than on the TV. He glances up and catches a few seconds of what seems to be an older movie before Takeda moves on to the next channel.

 

“Wait!” he says, interrupting Takeda in his crusade for a somewhat decent movie “Go back, please. You seemed to be interested in that, senpai, so why don’t we watch it?”

 

“Ah, this is an older movie... it’s not exactly the most exciting thing to watch on a sleepover...” he responds shyly.

 

“What is it about?”, Ukai questions.

 

“Don’t laugh, but this was the movie that made me like literature and books in general in the first place, so it’s a movie very dear to me.” He mutters quietly, with a somewhat nostalgic smile, “It has been a while since I’ve seen it.”

 

Ukai wasn’t expecting such an honest response. He was expecting something more along the lines of “ _It seemed familiar”_ or _“Watched it once and didn’t like it”._ In his sincere opinion, it didn’t seem like the type of movie that Ukai would like, however, given that Takeda seemed to be extremely fond of it, he decides to give it a chance.

 

“Well, let’s give it a shot. I doubt we can find anything better.”

 

He appears to have said the right thing, because the smile that Takeda gives him in return is blinding.

 

Truthfully, the movie wasn’t as boring as Ukai feared. They were lucky enough to catch it in the beginning, so Takeda only had to give a small explanation of what happened in the minutes they missed. It was about a teacher trying to inspire his students to be free- thinkers and to follow their passions. Ukai wished his teachers were lie that, because as he is watching the movie, even he’s getting excited about topics like literature, which, until recently, held zero interest to him. It is easy to see why Takeda liked it so much.

 

“You could be like him, you know?” he whispers, not wanting to disturb the quietness in the room. Besides the sounds coming from the TV, not a single sound was heard, such was the boys’ interest in what was happening.

 

With a single glance sideways, Takeda mutters a small and confused “Uh?”

 

“Like Keating, the teacher. I can see why you liked this so much and honestly, he is what every teacher should be. You could be like him.” He explains himself.

 

“I’m not sure about it...” Takeda says. He looks down, his face reflecting what is probably a fraction of the doubts and insecurities that are running through his head.

 

“Yeah, you can. It’s clear that you love books and your excitement is contagious. That’s cool, because it gets the students excited. There is nothing more boring than listening to a teacher talking about something in a monotonic voice, like they would rather be anywhere else than in that classroom.” He mutters quietly. He, too, looks down and starts messing with a loose thread on his socks, avoiding direct eye contact. Despite is active imagination and the dialogs going in his head, he is not that good at voicing his thoughts “Besides, if you can teach me literature, you can teach anyone!” he adds on a later thought, to lighten up the mood.

 

Even though they are surrounded by darkness, the only light in the room coming from the TV, Ukai can spot from the corner of his eye the small blush that takes over Takeda’s cheeks.

 

“Thank you.”

 

He tries to hide the small smile that springs in his face in return.

 

When the movie ends, they both agree that it was getting late and they should so to sleep, so they get up and go to Takeda’s room. The older student takes an extra futon out of the closet and sets it down on the floor.

 

It is only then that Ukai is reminded that this was an impromptu sleepover. He didn’t came prepared for this and as such, he didn’t bring a pajama. If this were Takinoue’s or Shimada’s house, Ukai couldn’t care less about that fact and he would just remove his clothes and sleep in his underwear. They had seen each other in their underwear plenty of times in locker rooms, so one more time wouldn’t make any difference. But this was Takeda’s. For a brief moment he considers putting on his training gear, after all, sportswear is infinitely more comfortable than the school uniform he is wearing, but then he remembers the gruesome practice he had that day. The thought of putting those clothes soaked with sweat back on makes him cringe.

 

He clears his throat. When Takeda looks up from his task of arranging the futon on the floor the way he saw fit, Ukai says

 

“I know this might be asking too much, but do you have anything for me to wear? It’s ok if you don’t, I can always wear my practicing gear...”

 

_Please say yes, please say yes..._ is the mantra that is going on in a loop in his head.

 

“Well, of course!” he answers with a smile. “Although I’m not sure if I have anything that will fit you” he adds with a smirk.

 

“Anything is better than my sweaty clothes.”

 

They both crouch down to look at the bottom drawer in Takeda’s wardrobe where the boys stores his sportswear that function simultaneously as pajama’s sets.

 

“Let me see what I can find” states Takeda.

 

He starts going through his drawer, taking the top layer of clothes out to see if there is anything they could use underneath. After a while he lifts up a shirt and exclaim, uncertainty lacing his voice.

 

“This is the biggest I could find.” He then proceeds to put the shirt in front of Ukai’s chest to compare the size of the two “It fits... I think. Now onto pants.”

 

In the middle of all the clothes that Takeda is throwing out of the drawer, Ukai spots a pair of basketball shorts. Those tend to be loose on the player in order to allow free movement. He picks them up and inspects them. The shorts in question, he thinks, might just be around his size. In the back of his mind pops up the question of why would Takeda own a pair of shorts that are clearly way to big for him, but he quickly shuts the thought down.

 

“What about this?” he asks, holding the shorts up for Takeda to see.

 

The look that crosses Takeda’s face is not what Ukai was expecting. Instead of a small smile or the relieved look of someone whose search has come to an end, Takeda’s face shifted from confused to a mix between horrified and the look of someone caught in the act of doing something they knew was wrong. It was late and Ukai didn’t feel like analyzing that, so he lets it go.

 

“Oh, umm, I didn’t know I had those... A friend of mine must have left them here.”

 

“So can I?”

 

“Ummm, yeah... sure.”

 

Again, not wanting to think about the strange nervousness in his response, Ukai decides to ignore it, in favor of going to the bathroom to get dressed.

 

As he expected, he shorts fit, but the shirt was on the small side. “On the small side” was a nice way to put it. It was tight, incredibly tight, stretching across Ukai’s chest and shoulders so much that he feared the smallest of movements might rip it.

 

_Oh God, I’m ruining the shirt... I hope he doesn't mind. He doesn’t seem to wear them that often, so he probably won’t._

He goes back to Takeda’s room and sees that the boy is already in bed, beneath what looks like to be at least 2 blankets.

 

“It’s a bit tight, so sorry if it gets ruined. I can buy you a new on if you want.”

 

When Takeda looks up in his direction, what he sees has an immediate effect, the blush so intense that the entirety of his face is now coloured in a rosy tone.

 

“Are you ok?” asks Ukai, concerned about the sudden change of colour of his face.

 

“Y-yeah, yes! It’s just really warm here...”

 

“Do you want me to remove a blanket?”

 

“NO! There’s no need for that! I get cold easily in the middle of the night. If you want more blankets just tell me.”

 

“Ok... thanks, but no thanks. I’m the opposite: I’m a furnace, so by this time of the year I only need one blanket.”

 

_Senpai is behaving weirdly since the movie ended..._

He turns the lights of and feels his way towards the futon. He quickly lays down and covers himself with a surprisingly think blanket.

 

Time passes. How much time Ukai can’t tell, but his eyelids are getting heavier and heavier. When he feels like he finally might fall asleep, he ears a small voice calling him.

 

“Ukai-kun?”

 

“Yes, senpai?” he asks, voice heavy and thick from his almost slumber.

 

“Sorry if you were already alseep...”

 

“I wasn’t, otherwise I wouldn’t have responded.”

 

“Yes, that’s right... silly me... sorry...”

 

Ukai turns around in the direction of Takeda’s voice, his right cheek ending up squished in the pillow.

 

“What is it that you wanted to ask, senpai?”

 

“Oh, yes, that... what do you want to be when you grow up?”

 

“What are we? Five year-olds?”

 

“Sorry...”

 

“To be honest, I don’t know. I feel like I should. And school keeps pushing these ideas to us, like, businessman, doctor, teacher, lawyer... whatever, but I just... don’t. you know what I mean? I don’t like any of those things. The only thing I like is volleyball.”

 

In the future, Ukai would wonder what lead him to share so much. That is one of the biggest concerns he has: he doesn’t know what he wants. He feels like he is living his life one day at the time, without any expectations towards the future. Without any ambitions or dreams. He just wants to play volleyball with his team. He wants to live in those pockets of time where he doesn’t have any worries. Volleyball is his bubble of happiness, the golden times he will always cherish and hold dear to his heart. He fears what will happen if he reaches the end of high school and still doesn’t know.

 

Curse sleepiness for eliminating his mouth filter.

 

Sensing the concern in his sleepy voice, Takeda adds “Well you can always be a volleyball player, right?”

 

“That’s the dream. But let’s be realistic, me and a bunch of other people want it. Other more talented people. I don’t know if I’ll be good enough to be so.”

 

“Well, you train really hard. Tall that hard work must result in something good, doesn’t it? Besides, you can always do other things related to volleyball.”

 

“Like what?” asks Ukai, more out of a reflex than of actual interest.

 

“Well, there is coaching, team advisor... ummm... one of those people that scout player for the big teams? That's a job, isn’t it?”

 

That makes him wake up a bit, eyes opening up suddenly.

 

He doesn’t respond and, after a while, by the sound of Takeda’s breathing, the boy had fallen asleep.

 

_If all else fails, I can always give continuity to the family’s name._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely readers, I'm back!
> 
> Thank you to all of those that left kudos in the previous chapters and to the lovely people that left comments! I live for those!
> 
> Alright... about this chapter... in my mind, the story I'm writing is divided in 3 major parts and if I had to choose my top 3 most important chapter of the first part, this would be in it. The other is, of course the chapter where they met and the other one I'm yet to write. That's why it took me so long to write this. I didn't hit a writer's block, on the contrary, I had this chapter in my mind since the beginning. It's just that I wanted it to be perfect, so it took a while. It's still not perfect, but it's hella late where I live and I wanted to upload this chapter before things get busy, so yeah...
> 
> Also the movie they were watching is "Dead Poet's Society". It's a classic and a really good one. I totally recommend.
> 
> P.S. assume that at some point in the night they brushed their teeth.


	8. A wake-up call

It still feels like a surreal experience.

  
In one way, it was just like any sleepover he has had at one of his friend's house. They do the homework, have dinner, watch movies and talk late into the night, but on the other hand spending the night at Takeda’s was completely different from staying at Shimada's or Takinoue's. For starters, he actually got work done. Not that he doesn’t do anything at his best friends’ house, but the amount of work done is inferior and the time taken to do so is vastly superior. And yes, they watched a movie, but it was a different type of movie. They talked, but it was an important talk. Like, an actually deep and meaningful talk. Not the playful banter, jokes and volley talk does with his friends.

 

_Not that volley isn’t important._

  
_Volley is very important. Just… a different kind of important._

  
Even waking up felt different. Usually, the first one to wake up among his group of friends would just throw himself on top of the other two and wrestle them awake. Takeda had actually let him sleep more. Well, he had tried, but failed miserably. He miscalculated his steps and accidentally fell on top of Ukai, who groaned, not from the pain, since Takeda was a relatively light person, but from being suddenly awaken from his slumber.

 

Takeda was about to silently curse, but all that comes out of his mouth is a big yawn. He scrambles out of Ukai, sitting at the end of the futon next to him, making no move to get up.

 

“If you are that tired, then why did you wake up?” asked Ukai.

 

“You know when you’re so used to wake up early for school that you can’t help but wake up early in the weekend? Like your body has an inside clock...” is the answer he gets.

 

“Can’t relate.” Says Ukai. His arms over his head as he stretches. He cracks his shoulder joints in a way that would leave him slightly worried were he awake, but that goes completely unnoticed in his current sleepy state. “If I can wake up late, I will do so.”

 

Takeda gently lays down on top of the cover, his head laying on his crossed harms. He then shuffles slightly and turns on his back, looking straight towards the ceiling. All Ukai can see from his point of view is Takeda’s legs, given the fact that the other boy laid down with his head in the opposite direction from his. Takeda’s head was right next to his tights and if he turned his head a bit, Takeda could see the gentle rise and fall out Ukai’s chest.

 

Both of them were awake, albeit a bit lazy to get up and do anything. Both of them new the other was awake. However, neither of them wanted to disrupt the quietness and peacefulness of the morning. Ukai couldn’t remember a time were he woke up and felt completely relaxed and at peace with himself. It was perfect. He felt that the moment could last forever if neither did anything, so after a while, Ukai decided it was time to get up. It could have been a few seconds, or many minutes, he didn't know, time was relative in the morning while one is lying down on their bed.

 

He pats Takeda’s knee and uses it as a support to sit up.

 

“Up.” He says. However, it’s not those words that make Takeda sit up as well, but the feeling of Ukai’s hand on his knee, the tips of his fingers brushing the backside of it that make him blush furiously and bolt up.

 

After that they both slowly and lazily got up and went to the kitchen to get breakfast. Takeda’s mother was already up and had started to make breakfast so their task was already halfway done. The meal was a quiet and simple affair and after it the boys went to Takeda’s room to get dressed. Their movements were slow and sluggish. It was evident that neither of them wanted the impromptu sleepover to end. They were both delaying the inevitable.

 

However, all good things come to an end and eventually everything was tidied and Ukai’s bag was packed. It was time to leave. Takeda accompanies him to the front door where Ukai put on his shoes, shyly waves goodbye and, without looking back, leaves.

 

Ukai was still thinking about it, even after a couple of days passed.

 

It felt like a surreal experience.

 

 

( /*o* )/

 

 

Pain.

 

On that precise moment, that’s all he feels: pain. The left side of his face his burning with it.

 

_But why? What happened?_

Only then does he realize that he had his eyes closed. He opens them. Or at least, he tries to. The right one opens just fine, but the same can’t be said about the left one.

 

“He’s waking up!” Ukai hears a voice saying. _Shimada’s?_ He can’t really tell with all the commotion that appears to be around him. He realizes that he’s lying down, so he tries to sit. “Be careful! Don’t strain yourself.” The voice says.

 

“What happened?”

 

“You were distracted and got hit in the face by Akio-senpai’s spike. You were out for just a couple of seconds. Honestly, what were you thinking for not having seen that one coming?” Ukai decides it is best not to answer to that question unless he wanted to get mocked until the year ended.

 

“Lucky for you, Takinoue saw it coming and tried to warn you. You managed to turn your head. Might have saved you from a broken nose” the coach says. It is only then that Ukai realizes that practiced had stopped, given the fact nearly the entire team was surrounding him, trying to get a better look to see if he was ok. Ukai Ikkei sees him looking around and adds “Kenzou-san went to get some ice. He felt guilty, even though it was partially your fault for not receiving it: it was a strong spike, but it was a straight one. You had a clear view of the ball and if you had taken a few steps back, you could have easily received it.”

 

“Eh, coach! Don’t be mean!” someone screams.

 

“What?” asks the coach “I’m glad you are ok and won’t have to take time out, but what I said is true!” says the older Ukai, trying to defend his previous statement.

 

The entire team suddenly turns to their libero, Katsuo Katashi, for confirmation. Not wanting to go against the coach, the demon coach as many liked to call him, he nodded, confirming what the older Ukai said. It was, in fact true. At any other moment, Ukai would have been able to receive it. Unfortunately, at that particular moment, he was distracted revisiting and over-analyzing every moment of his sleepover with Takeda. They hadn’t talked since then, which wasn’t uncommon, but neither of them had really talked about it either. The easy way that they just fit, even though they hadn’t met that long ago. The fact that neither of them felt like putting up an act around each other. They could just be. It was a perfect moment and Ukai was afraid to ruin it by wanting to talk about it. So he did what seemed logical and what Takeda seemed to be doing as well, which was to avoid talking about it like one would avoid the plague.

 

_My mind is wandering again._

 

Fortunately, his thoughts were interrupted by their captain, Kenzou Akio, busting through the gym doors with a plastic bag filled with ice cubes. The coach helps Ukai up and guides him to the bench, where he sits down. Akio gives him the ice, wrapping it in a towel beforehand. The setter didn't realize how sore his face was until the ice touched it. No wonder he couldn’t open his left eye properly.

 

“You’re benched for the rest of practice.” Says the coach in a low voice. He then raises his volume and screams for the entire team to hear him “The rest of you, get back to what you were doing! With this, you all had a couple of minutes to rest and rehydrate. Ryou, go practice your serves! Don’t think I didn't see how terrible they were today! The rest can play 5 to 5.”

 

Said boy leaves the group of players in the court to practice serves on the sidelines. The rest quickly reorganize themselves and start playing.

 

Practice went on for about half an hour before the coach blew his whistle signaling the end of it. All the players simultaneously sighed in relieve. They quickly put all the equipment (the balls and the net) inside the storage unit and clean the floor, before grabbing their water bottles and leaving the gym to get changed. Ukai was about to do the same thing when he heard someone calling him.

 

“Ukai-kun, come here.” says Hirohito calmly “We need to talk.” 

 

_Crap!_

 

_What have I done?_

 

From Ukai's experience, those words were never a good thing. But then again, his experience was limited to the few romantic comedies he has watched. He is not proud to admit to have done so, but when you wake up in the middle of the night, anything that is passing on the TV is acceptable. His thoughts were getting side tracked. What did the older setter want to talk about? Clearly, they weren’t involved in a romantic relationship so all the scenarios that flashed by on Ukai’s mind were out of the question. 

 

Lost in his thoughts, Ukai didn’t even notice his senpai getting closer. Hirohito gently puts his hand on his shoulder and drags him outside of the gym. It was a couple of minutes past 7 pm and the sun was setting, painting the sky in a beautiful and warm orange glow. The older setter guides him to a bench nearby where he pushes his shoulder down, telling him to sit down. He then sits down next to him, leaving a respectable space between the two of them.

 

“Do you know why I started playing volleyball?” he asks, a few moments later, crossing his arms in front of his chest. He doesn’t look at Ukai. Instead, he opts to look forward, straight to the wall directly in front of them.

 

Despite all the scenarios going on in his mind, Ukai didn’t even begin to imagine that this could be happening. _What is his goal? What does he expect to achieve with this?_

 

Hirohito doesn’t give him time to even think about replying. The question was clearly a rhetorical one and as such, he quickly proceeds with the story.

 

“It’s probably not what you think. Many of us start playing this sport because they had a moment where it clicked for them. They saw an awesome game on TV with a flashy move and they thought to themselves ‘Wow, I want to be like that player’. Others, like you, started this because they had family already in this area and were half-expected half-directed to this path. Not me, not Akio. I can’t speak for Akio, but I never had a moment where it clicked. Don’t get me wrong, I love this sport, my it’s not like a burning passion. It was a slow and steady thing, growing with time as I played it.”

 

He stops for a bit, breathing in, before continuing it.

 

“I met him when we were in elementary school. We then both went to the same middle school, so it was only natural that we remained friends there. In middle school, we were expected to join a club. We quickly ruled out any that involved sitting in a classroom. It was enough to sit during classes. We wanted something to relieve stress and be active and so, sports club was a natural choice. One day, we were walking around and we spotted a pamphlet for the volley club. Akio ripped it from the wall it was attached to and showed it to me, saying ‘Why don’t we try volleyball? Looks cool, like an intense and fancy version of the don’t-let-the-balloon-touch-the-floor game!’ ” Hirohito chuckled at that memory “And so we decided to give it a try. We liked it, so we stayed ever since. Honestly, I don’t know what would have happened if he had never spotted that pamphlet, or if he had seen one advertising for another club before that one. I don’t know what would be different and I don’t like to think about that.”

 

Again, he doesn’t give enough time for Ukai to come up with a reply. He continues saying

 

“I bet you’re wondering why I’m telling you this right now. The main point here is that I never intended to play volleyball professionally. For me, it’s more of a hobby. Something that I do for fun to relieve stress. I’m lucky that I’ve been able to play it all this time. This club members have become like a second family to me, so I’m glad to have you guys and Akio by my side.”

 

Ukai couldn’t help to notice, not only the amount of times that his captain was mentioned in this conversation, but also the affectionate way that the older setter mentioned his friend. It was in the way he said it, his voiced softening and in he little shy smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. It was no secret that the captain and vice-captain of the volleyball team were close. They were childhood friends, after all. They were in the same classroom, in the same club, had lunch together... hey were pretty much attached to the hip. However, Ukai couldn’t help but notice the small things: the way that the concept of personal space seemed to be a foreign thing for them; how the both of them suddenly disappeared for a couple of minutes before a game; how they always checked the other’s opinion before doing anything; how they seemed to rely on each other for comfort.

 

Seeing how close they were wasn’t any news to him or any of the first years and the second years had accepted it a long time ago. The team had an on-going joke of calling them the mother and father of the group. Sometimes, even their coach would go along with it. However, only now did it cross Ukai’s mind that they could be something else. They had never admitted anything openly to the team, which is understandable given that homosexuality isn’t accepted by all in Japan, specially among older generations, but he had the feeling that if they did, the team wouldn’t be too shocked.

 

_Is this a confession? His way to admit it?_

_But why now and why me?_

“I’ve been thinking a lot about what I should do.” Hirohito continues “I don’t know about Akio but I don’t plan to continue playing volleyball in college. So I’m thinking of leaving the team after the summer vacations, to study and prepare better for college exams. That means that I’ll still play with you for the Inter-High preliminaries, but after that I’ll retire. I’ll still come to support you guys, though.”

 

That comes as a shock for Ukai, who is too stunned to reply. He opens and closes his mouth several times to try to articulate an answer, but nothing comes out of it.

 

“Do you realize what that means?” the older student asks.

 

_What?_

_Fuck..._

The Karasuno men’s volleyball club only had two setters: Hirohito and Ukai. With Hirohito’s impending retirement that means...

 

_Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck..._

_I’m not ready..._

“I’m not ready!” is the first thing Ukai says since the beginning of the conversation.

 

“Don’t worry, no one really is. We have all played matches during middle school, but believe when I say that high school volley is on a whole new level. It’s normal to feel terrified before your first game and mistakes are inevitable. You will learn from them and grow because of them.” Hirohito tries to sooth his worries, but his words seem to be of no avail. He moves, turning sideways on the bench in order to face Ukai. For the first time since the conversation started they both hold eye contact. “I talked to coach Ukai about how I think it’s best that I start training you and start giving you some pointers about the tosses that out wing-spikers like and just about general strategies that we use in the game. We have to hone that precision and those observation and decision skills. He agreed with me. Thinks it’s about time that we started thinking about what will happen once we leave and who will replace us. He also gave me the side-eye after your little stunt today...”

 

“Sorry...”

 

“It’s ok, we all have those moments, but be careful, because we don’t have another setter to replace you if you go down. Consider this a wake-up call. We do this for fun, but we must also be aware that we have an entire team that relies on us. I like to think of the setter has a control tower in a busy airport. Sure, we don’t have the flashiest moves and must of the times it’s not up to us to score. However, we dictate and decide every move around us as much as we can. Take out the control tower and just watch the entire team crumble.”

 

_I’m so screwed_... he thinks.

 

“So promise me: don’t let us down.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, lovely readers... miss me?  
> Does any of you know Inasa from Boku no Hero Academia and remembers his extreme bows... yeah, I'm doing one of those. I know it has been a while, but where I live, college exams are in the beginning of January, meaning that we have to spend the entire duration of the Christmas Holidays studying... it's sad but a necessary evil. 
> 
> BUT NOW I'M BACK!!!!
> 
> So for those who don't remember/ are a bit confused with all the names:  
> \- Kenzou Akio - 3rd year, captain and wing-spiker  
> \- Hirohito Subaru - 3rd year, vice-captain and setter  
> \- Katsuo Katashi - 2nd year, libero (his name means victory - katsu - and hard and firm -katashi)  
> \- Ryou - 2nd year (I don't have a particular position in mind, so I accept suggestions) (name means cool, refreshing, distant)  
> \- Takinoue Yuusuke - 1st year, middle blocker  
> \- Shimada Makoto - 1st year, wing-spiker/pinch server
> 
> AND YES! I DID THAT!  
> I created the characters and made the ship happen. Kenhiro (Kenzou x Hirohito) is canon in this fic!


	9. What if?

Despite the daunting feeling that those last few words left him with, the overall conversation he had with Hirohito-senpai left him in a pretty positive mood.

 

He is one of the last people to arrive to the clubroom to change from his workout gear to his school uniform. He is surprised to find out that Shimada and Takinoue were still there. They were the first ones to leave the gym, so by that logic, they should have been the first ones to be done with changing and go home. However they were still there, among a few other players that had arrived later. They were already fully dressed, but were sitting in one of the benches near a wall, leaning back and talking quietly among them. Upon Ukai’s entry, they both look up and nod, recognizing his presence in the clubroom, but doing nothing to approach him, giving him room to change.

 

Ukai goes to his locker where he had stored his backpack and his clothes and quickly changes. After he is done, the three first-years get up and leave the clubroom, going in the direction of Sakanoshita Store to get some snacks before going up to Ukai’s house to do their homework and study for some tests that might be approaching. Ukai has to admit that Takeda’s help had been indispensable. He learnt so much from him to the point where he wasn’t in immediate danger of flunking the class like he had previously been. Now he manages to get a slightly above than average score! Besides, everything he learnt from him was later explained in a less professional way by Ukai to his friends, meaning that not only had Takeda saved Ukai, but also his two friends from failing the class. Despite having never met in person, Shimada and Takinoue were already familiarized with Takeda’s name, given the frequency it appeared in conversations during said study sessions.

 

As soon as they entered Ukai’s house, snacks already eaten such was their appetite, they quickly discard their shoes in the lobby and go inside his room.

 

After putting down their backpacks and retrieving the desired books and notebooks from them, Shimada is the first one between the two friends to crack and ask.

 

“So... what did you and Hirhito-senpai talk about?”

 

“Thank God you asked!” whispered Takinoue in relief, his facial expression and posture clearly showing the interest he had in such topic “I was dying to know, but didn’t want to be the nosy friend that asked first.”

 

“I’m not nosy!” exclaims Shimada, outraged by such concept being associated with him.

 

“Glad you asked, because I’m dying to tell.” says Ukai excitedly.

 

“Oh shit” mutters Takinoue almost simultaneously and Shimada’s loud “Shoot!”

 

All pretense of studying was quickly abandoned after this. Both of Ukai’s friends lean forward, grasping the edge of the table in order to contain the excitement and curiosity running through their bodies. The setter, with a smug looks starts explaining the conversation.

 

“So to sum it up, because the conversation was quite long and at first even I was confused, Hirohito-senpai told me that the Inter-High Tournament would be the last time he would play volleyball with us. He plans to leave the team after the summer vacations to prepare for college exams and so, he will start training me to replace him. So in other words, you are looking at the future setter of the Karasuno volleyball club!”

 

His friends promptly get up to congratulate him, from pats on the back, to encouraging sentences and smiles. Ukai was not sure how they would react to the news: if they would be mainly sad to the their senpai leave, if they would be jealous of him, because he got in before them. However seeing their unfiltered happiness for him reassured him that he was on the right path.

 

For a couple of seconds he considers asking them about the relationship between Hirohito-senpai and Akio-senpai. The conversation had picked his interest, however he might have been reading too much into it. For all he new, they might just be extremely close friends who are very comfortable around each other. He didn't want to be the one that starts spreading rumours, especially ones that might affect his senpais' reputation, whether they be true or not. More so, he is scared to find out what his friends' reactions might be, what they think about that matter.

 

A couple of moments later, after their enthusiasm and celebrations had died down, the study session began, as per usual.

 

 

~(*_*)~

 

 

Later that day, after they had both left for their respective homes, Ukai was lying on top of his bed, hair wet fresh from the shower. He was mulling about what he should do next. There were a couple of TV shows he was trying to follow and some he was a few episodes behind, but despite wanting to watch them, the didn't have the motivation to do so.

 

From his peripheral vision, he spots his phone on top of the table where he usually studies and ponders if it’s worth getting up to retrieve it in order to entertain himself. Ukai has to admit that he has always felt guilty for having these kinds of moods: when he is busy all he wishes for is free time to do the things he likes. However, there he is, with plenty of free time on his hands and yet he is not doing anything at all. He can’t even gather the motivation necessary to crawl out of bed and pick up his phone.

 

_I haven’t told senpai about the news._

_We haven’t spoken in almost 3 days..._

To be fair, not speaking for that amount of time was normal for them, especially during the weekends. Conversations usually picked up during the week leading to their study date Friday night. However, Ukai was still bothered by this particular silence. After all, they spent the entire Monday without texting.

 

_Not even a good morning or a hello._

That is the catalyst that allows him to get up and crawl to the opposite end of his bed, the one that’s nearest to the table where is phone is. He stretches his arm out and tries to grab it but it’s not enough. Without really leaving his bed (he wasn’t _that_ motivated), he supports his right arm on the edge of the table and uses it to push himself forward, just a couple of centimeter, but enough to grab his phone. Only then does he realize that he is suspended between the table and the bed, supported by one hand and his knees in an almost planking position, which he finds impossible to get out. Without a doubt, it would have been easier to just get out of bed and retrieve his phone, but Ukai is a stubborn man and since he is already halfway in, he will not give up now. In a last effort to remedy the situation he is in, he flexes his arm as if he was doing a one-armed push-up, and with as much strength he can muster, pushes himself backward, hoping to land on the bed.

 

Of course that idea, like many others, is better in theory than in reality and so, he ends up falling sideways on the floor. He takes a moment to breath out and to release the frustration that pent up momentarily given the amount of stupidity shown in the last couple of seconds. Eventually he gets up and goes to lie down on his bed, exactly where he was before the idea of picking up his phone sprung up in his head.

 

 

 

To Takeda-senpai:

 

I’m in! I’m finally in. I mean I was already in on the first place, but now I’m officially in! A regular... finally...

 

 

 

He holds in his breath, but, unfortunately, there is no immediate response. Ukai doesn’t know if he should feel relieved, disappointed or concerned. Takeda wasn’t usually glued to his phone, so it’s normal that he wouldn’t immediately notice if he received a message notification. It’s perfectly normal to not get a reply within the first few seconds, but that doesn’t make Ukai feel less disappointed. He didn’t leave Takeda’s house Saturday morning feeling like the air between them two was awkward, so he doesn’t think that he screwed up royally. However, he isn’t know to be the most apt at reading people, so it wouldn’t surprise him if the read the situation wrong, or if some clue completely went over his head.

 

He puts his phone down beside his pillow and closes his eyes. A couple of minutes later, his phone buzzes with a new message notification popping up.

 

 

 

From Takeda-senpai:

 

What?

 

That sounds like you have managed to get inside some building where you weren’t supposed to... please tell me you’re not breaking any rules. I’m a law-abiding citizen.

 

I mean, I wouldn’t outright rat you out, but I’m a terrible liar and would most certainly give in if I were being interrogated.

 

 

 

That makes Ukai chuckle.

 

Takeda had a simple writing that, somehow, was filled with character and emotion. One of the major problems inherent to writing is that’s incredibly difficult to portray emotion without long paragraphs of lengthy description. There are so many things important to communication that completely go over and beyond the simple act of talking. Sure, what one says is important, but you can argue and defend that the way one says it is as, if not more, important. Body language, facial expressions, voice intonation and many more things are crucial to communication, but incredibly hard to convey through text messages. However, Takeda manages to do so amazingly. Ukai can picture the confusion in his eyes, his nervous stutter to try and catch up, the bashful way he might be scratching his scalp trying to come up with ideas about the possible meaning of the message he had just received.

 

_Dammit... so cute..._

 

 

 

To Takeda-senpai:

 

What?! No! I meant on the volleyball team!

 

 

 

From Takeda-senpai:

 

Wait, I’m so confused... weren’t you already on the volleyball team?

 

 

 

This tiny, it’s not a small chuckle that comes out of his mouth, but a full body laugh that makes him curl his body on his bed and turn sideways.

 

 

 

To Takeda-senpai:

 

Yes, but now I get to finally play in official games. The club has many players, but on court there can only stand 6 of them. There are also some players that stand on the box – substitute players, if you will, that are called to replace the others during pinches or if anything happens to any of them. Those we call the regular players. They are usually the 3rdyears and the 2ndyears. In clubs like ours, with many players, it’s rare for a 1styear to be a regular. 

 

But I’m in! Well not exactly, but Hirohito-senpai has started training me to replace him once he’s gone. Which is sad, I shouldn’t be happy about it.

 

 

 

From Takeda-senpai:

 

Oh! That makes more sense...

 

There is nothing wrong about feeling happy to be on the team. Hirohito-san was going to leave anyway and you were the most capable one to replace him.

 

 

 

Of that he was not sure of. It was only when he was alone in his room, at night with no one around, that he let his thoughts run free and his deepest insecurities come up to the surface. The fact is that, despite being the only setter and, therefore, the only one able to replace Hirohito-senpai, he didn’t feel worthy of it. He felt like he was chosen, because he was the only option, not because he was actually capable of doing a good job.

 

 

To Takeda-senpai:

 

I was the only one...

 

What if there was another setter? Would I still be the chosen one? Am I good enough?

 

What if I’m not good enough?

 

 

 

Because that was the point in all of this. All of his questions and all of his doubts, deep down, boiled up to that simple question.

 

_What if I’m not good enough?_

Despite everyone saying otherwise, despite their claims that they know he is capable and their attempts at reassuring him that it’s only human to fail, Ukai knew better. He could see it in their eyes. Their voice said something, but their body language and especially their eyes told a completely different story. Hirohito-senpai had said it himself: _“Don't let us down”_. Karasuno is used to a certain standard when it comes to setting and by replacing his senpai, the entire team hopes that he fulfills those expectations. They expect him to be at the same level that his senpai was, someone that has had a couple more years of training than he has. It is a lot of pressure to put on someone’s shoulders.

 

_Bzzzzzzzt bzzzzzzzt_

 

 

 

From Takeda-senpai:

 

Don’t we all ask ourselves the same? We all fear that we are not enough. We all fear that we will not be able to deal with what might happen in the future. The more I grow, the more I realize that most people have no idea what they are doing. They just try to do their best, hoping that it will be enough. They improvise as they go. They learn through their mistakes and repetition. No one wants to fail, but failure is sometimes necessary in order to succeed.

 

So don’t burden yourself to much with the what ifs... go and do your best, because that’s all we can ask.

 

 

 

He feels that, for the first time since his conversation with Hirohito, he can finally breathe normally, without that heavy weight on his chest almost suffocating him.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to admit that I'm not happy with this chapter. I don't know why, but there's something bothering me about it. It feels more like me delaying the inevitable by rambling on about life... I was planning on adding one more scene, but in the end, it would make an extremely long chapter and I felt that it would be better to end this chapter where it ended and do the other scene in another chapter.
> 
> Also, I don't think I ever told you this, but since I'm already complaining about things I don't like about this work, let me add that I don't like the title. When I started writing, as soon as I finished the first chapter I wanted to publish it here to get some feedback. So I had the 1st chapter ready to go, but no title and I had to invent something on the spot and I thought "Eh... you could always change it later when you have a better idea". I haven't had a better idea, so it remained the same. All this just to tell you not to be alarmed if my baby suddenly changes name.
> 
> Well, that's all I wanted to say. Sorry if it's not more positive, but that's life. I hope the next chapter comes out better.


	10. A group of crows is called a murder

Life went on as it usually does. Practice started getting more and more gruesome as the Interhigh got closer and closer. As promised, Hirohito started to focus more on Ukai, teaching him more advanced techniques and the signals used by the team.

 

Hours went by way too fast for Ukai’s opinion and practices flew by and, without him noticing it, Karasuno’s first game was right at their doorstep. That day, the three first years had an unspoken agreement – they would all stay at Ukai’s house for a sleepover and would, for once, actually try to sleep in order to feel refreshed when waking up. However, maybe due to nervousness, maybe due to excitement, it took them a while to fall asleep. They talked about many things in the darkness of Ukai’s room, after all, their first game would be in the following day. They talked about how excited they were for the game, even though it was unlikely for any of them to actually play. They talked about their hopes and expectations. They shared what little information they had gathered on the rival team. They wondered about all the cool plays that might happen during the game. In the middle of all of those questions and statements, the boys ended up falling asleep.

 

The next day they wake up feeling surprisingly well rested. With all the excitement more subdued but the worries still very much present, they quickly get ready and start heading towards the school gates, where the bus and the rest of the team was waiting for them. They were not the first ones to arrive, but they weren’t the last. Per the coach’s request, all the players do one last check-up, in order to assure that they all had the equipment and sneakers in their bags. After it, they hop on the bus and the small journey from the school to the gym where the tournament was being held.

 

As he got off the bus, all the nervousness he woke up without started building up on the bottom of his stomach. As he looked around to scan the faces of the rest of the team, he could see he wasn’t the only one. The first-years showed it in a more evident way. It was something Ukai found funny, since most of the first years wouldn’t be playing in this game unless some sort of emergency arose. The older students could hide their agitation better. It wasn’t like the nervous twitching of the first years, but more in the way that they seemed to be ever so slightly tense. They tried to appear relaxed by slouching in their seats while listening to music, but the attentive eye could see the tension on their shoulders or the strong clench of their jaws. After all, they were under a lot of pressure.

 

At last they arrive and slowly, but surely, they start coming out of the bus and walking towards the stadium.

 

Despite always hearing about Karasuno being a powerhouse when it came to volley, that reality only started setting in during the small trek from the bus to the gym. People looked at them and started whispering to each other, their eyes showing a small mixture of fear, awe and admiration.

 

_Karaduno has really made a name for themselves out here..._

The crows, they were called. Perhaps because their equipment was black, perhaps because of the way they played. You see, crows are highly intelligent animals, fearless and quickly adaptable to any circumstances. In volleyball, you have all sorts of teams. There are teams specialized in defense. There are teams with an extremely strong offensive power. Karasuno wasn’t any of those. It wasn’t number one neither in defense nor in attack, but crowns are omnivores and as such, they took advantage of their enemies’ weakness when hunting. As a team, they were deadly. There’s a reason why a group crows is called a murder.

 

All in all, black was an intimidating colour that helps to build their intimidating image. The third-years’ tense shoulder and locked jaws made them seem bigger and scarier than they actually were.

 

They went to the locker room that was designated to them and quickly changed to the famous black equipment with the orange stripe on the side. Since they would be one of the first teams to play, they went to the court and started warming up. The first years warmed up together with their senpais, but, as they were explained the previous day, their role there was more of a support kind of role. They set the ball when it was time to practice spikes. They spiked the ball when it was time to practice receives and blocks. They were on the defense and on the ball-gathering-service when the others practice serves and spikes. All in all, their warm-up was actually very complete, allowing them to perform all the essential techniques necessary to play volley while simultaneously helping the older players to warm-up.

 

Despite the 30 minutes they had to warm up, time flew by and Ukai felt that he had been warming up only for a couple of seconds when he heard the whistle, signaling the beginning of the match. Both teams line up, bow and wish each other a good match.

 

Coach Ukai calls team aside, near the bench where he would be observing the game, to instruct them about the starting formation. The other team was going to serve, meaning that in order to start the game well and win a fair advantage, they had to start with a strong defense line. In all honesty, coach Ukai wasn’t that concerned with the other team. They weren’t a bad team, but they weren’t an outstanding team. Certainly not on the top 5 of the prefecture, just a regular high school volleyball team. The odds were in Karasuno’s favour, but that’s what worried coach Ukai. He fear that his players would become too comfortable and too over confident, leading them to play recklessly. That’s what he was looking to avoid and he warned them about it. The other team was relatively unknown and therefore, it could surprise them. There is a reason why underdog stories are always one of the public’s favourites. In volley, they were rare, but not unheard for.

 

After the talk with the coach, or the intimidation lecture as the players liked to call it, the starter players went inside the court and the remaining players that were left went to the box, to wait for the time when they would get called to play or to simply cheer for their friends.

 

“Ukai!” calls the coach, almost screaming in order to make himself heard over the cheers from the crowd.

 

The first year turns around to look at his coach, a surprised and inquisitive look on his face, given that he wasn’t expecting to be called so early in the game. Or to get called at all.

 

Ukai Ikkei pats the bench with more force than it was strictly necessary, motioning the younger Ukai to come closer and sit next to him. Intimidated by that move, the player half walks, half runs towards the bench, where a small notebook is dropped onto his lap.

 

“Take notes of everything; of every play, ours or theirs. Take note of our players weaknesses and strengths, of how many points we score and how and of how many points we loose and why. I want to know everything.”

 

Ukai found that request strange, since usually either the faculty advisor of the team or the manager did that, but he didn’t question it. He was actually happy to have something to do besides fretting about the game that was happening. And so, he sat down and did as he was told to.

 

 

(/ºoº)/

 

 

Don’t pity the crowd, whose heart was barely holding on from the exciting match. Pity the unlucky team that faced Karasuno on the first round.

 

The joy that the older players felt when winning with only 2 sets was contagious and it quickly spread to all the team, even to the players that didn’t set a single foot on court. Such were the joys of playing a team sport: one doesn’t have to play alone or to be the best. No one is alone in the court and so, one can always count with the help and support of the rest of the members. On the other hand, there is the pressure to perform well, because the team is only as good as their players. No one wants to feel like the team lost because of them and as such, it pressures everyone to do their absolute best. In the end, the victory was a team victory and the defeat wasn’t blamed on one single individual, but on the team as a whole.

 

For the day, they only had that game scheduled, but before they leave, they collectively decided to watch a couple more games. The coach was particularly interested in watching the game of the team they were going to play the next day. The entire team quickly agreed to that proposition. The more information they could gather about the opposing team, the better. Their strengths, their weaknesses; the types of serves each player does, their strongest spikers and their weakest receivers, everything could be used for their own benefit to score points. Without even being told to, Ukai takes his phone out and starts doing annotations.

 

Ukai hs never been a great texter, but his fingers move furiously had the game bellow him unfolds.

 

“Who are you texting with such fervor?” Takinoue asks “Is the conversation with Take-chan that exciting?”

 

“Take-chan?” Ukai inquires, his voice betraying the confusion and doubt he is feeling.

 

“Yeah, Take-chan!” he says, as if it was an obvious thing “Your friend, the senpai that helps you study! The one that makes you blush whenever his name is mentioned or whenever you receive a message from him.”

 

“Do not!”

 

“Do to!”

 

“What... are back to kindergarten? Why didn’t anyone warn me?” interrupts Shimada, making the other two effectively silent.

 

Ukai decides to ignore the course the conversation was taking. He makes himself comfortable in the chair again. Or as comfortable as anyone can be in a small and cold plastic seat. He chooses the steer the course of the conversation to another direction.

 

“Why Take-chan? You can’t call him that? You don’t know him... so don’t start calling him those cutesy names!” says Ukai, outraged at the thought.

 

“Why? Are you jealous?” Takinoue taunts him “It fits him... he is small and cute, so the –chan fits him. Besides, I’m sure he wouldn’t complain if you started  calling him that.” He says, laughing.

 

Ukai make a serious effort not to get up and strangle him mid-laugh. “Just stop it. It’s not funny anymore.” He says, dejected.

 

“Alright, alright, I’ll stop.” Takinoue concedes. Despite that, Ukai can still spot him trying to repress a smile. His friend looks at him sideways. The corner of his mouth lifts a bit and, with a smug smile, Takinoue says “You should text him, though.”

 

_That’s it._

_He’s going to die today._

(//*o*//)

 

 

After a stern shoulder grab and sterner talk with the team captain, Akio, the mood calms down and the first-years settle down, Shimada now in between Ukai and Takinoue to prevent the start of any stupid altercation that might arise.

 

Ukai goes back to taking notes about the game, while simultaneously trying to seem unbothered by the previous argument.

 

_What a stupid discussion..._

He struggles not to think about Takeda for the rest of the match. During the second set, it becomes apparent who will win the game, so Ukai stops taking notes about the other team and focuses more on the future winners. That leaves him with more time to notice each player and to try and crack their codes and movements in court.

 

He easily gets distracted though. When the ball gets passed to the side of the court that Ukai is uninterested in, he quickly glances around to see if no one is looking and opens his messages.

 

 

To Takeda-senpai:

 

We had a game today. The first one in the Inter High, actually. We won! I didn’t play, so I technically shouldn’t be saying we.

 

 

After reading it once more, he feels satisfied with the message so he quickly presses send.

 

 

From Takeda-senpai:

 

Congratulations!

 

And you are part of a TEAM. The team wins and the team looses together. There is no I in team.

 

 

He doesn’t know what to answer to that. After a couple of seconds, he switches again to the notifications and tries to pay attention to the game once more, but as soon as he lifts his eyes to see what was going on, his phone buzzes.

 

 

From Takeda-senpai:

 

When will your next game be? I would like to go and watch one...

 

 

That catches Ukai’s attention, making his heart skip a few beats. Answering it made him nervous, but not answering wasn’t an option. Now answering meant that Takeda would know that Ukai didn’t want him watching the game. That might make him feel unwanted and eventually stop the conversation altogether. However, answering it meant that he was making a commitment. He was showing Takeda that he was available and welcomed there. Up until that point, being with Takeda felt like being inside a bubble, their own world and nobody else’s. Answering that question meant that he was willing to introduce him to a whole new part of him. Sure, he already knew he played volleyball, but he had never seen him play. He had never met his friends or talked to him outside of their study dates. By answering the text, he crated a new pressure to perform even better than what was usual for him.

 

_Hells, I’m not even sure if I’ll play!... If I don’t what good will be inviting him?_

However, from he moment he revealed the date, the ball will be on Takeda’s side. It was up to him to show up or not.

 

_He could always make some excuse not to show up._

_He wouldn’t do that, though._

He was nervous. He didn’t want to answer it, but not answering was even worse, so he ended up choosing the lesser evil.

 

 

To Takeda-senpai:

 

We have another game tomorrow at 11 am. We go in the school us, but I saw a train station in front of the gym, so you can always take the train.

 

 

The response is almost instantaneous, as if Takeda had been holding the phone during the entire time.

 

 

From Takeda-senpai:

 

Great! See you tomorrow then!

 

 

He smiles at that, a bigger smile than he would be proud to admit.

 

The crowd cheers, the noise deafening, and he looks up startled. It turns out the game he was supposed to be watching had ended, the winning team having scored the final point. Karasuno wasn’t celebrating, though. Having scoped the team they would be playing tomorrow, their faces had turned serious again, already thinking about the next day.

 

Ukai gets up as well, following the rest of the team. From the corner of his eye, he sees Shimada throwing him a small smile, his eyes appearing to know everything. He ends up turning his eyes away, not able to hold the stare and most definitely not wanting to know what he might be thinking about.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you miss me?
> 
> You thought you had heard the last of me?
> 
> At this point it's not even funny. I'll admit it, I hit a writer's block in this chapter and so, it took me a while to actually write it, not because I didn't feel like it (no I wanted it) but I wasn't sure what to say or how to write it. I think I have it solved for now. I'm sorry for making you wait for so long (it's been like over a month, hasn't it?).
> 
> To all those people that waited for me, thank you! I promise I won't give up on this story. If I take a while to update it's because I'm busy or hit a wall, not because I gave up.
> 
> If you want to talk to me and ask some questions, my Tumblr is phoebeseb.


	11. Substitution

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello!
> 
> Fancy seeing you here at the beginning of the chapter...
> 
> The reason I'm doing this is to remind you of something things that might be useful when reading this chapter. First of all, characters:  
> -Kenzou Akio - tam captain, wing skiper, ace  
> -Hirohito Subaru - vice-captain, setter  
> -Katsuo Katashi - libero  
> -Ryou - middle blocker  
> -Noboru and Yamato - second years, haven't thought about their postions
> 
> Second of all, I don't know if they do this in Japan (I don't think they have mentioned in the manga), but I play volleyball and we have named the "court positions" by number so imagine:  
> -net-  
> 4 3 2  
> 5 6 1  
> so instead of saying "go to the center and front position" we just say "3" and everyone understands it. Just have this in mind because I'll mention this in this chapter.
> 
>  
> 
> As you can see, this chapter will be very volleyball heavy and oriented. Even so, I loved writing it, se I love the sport and this is, after all, a fanfic of a volleyball manga. Also, it's not something you often see in fanfictions, which I find a bit odd, so I hope you enjoy this change of pace as I did.
> 
> I got so excited that the chapter came out too long and as such, I had to divide this in 2 parts.

As the doors opened, he was assaulted by an enormity of sounds. Sounds so loud, that made them impossible to ignore and yet, those sounds were home to Ukai. The sound of feet stomping on the floor and the sneakers squeaking. The sounds of the balls hitting the floor and the ball car screeching whenever it was dragged anywhere. Those sounds felt like home to him. They reminded him of the times in his life when he was the happiest, so he cherished them. Together with the sounds, came the smell. He could go well without the smell – either of teenagers’ sweat or the intense smell of deodorants like Axe - there was no in-between. The only part that appeased him was the fact that, after a while, one got used to the smell to the point where it was almost neglectable.

 

After the previous day, the nerves among the team weren’t as high. They had already entered the rhythm of the game season and there was nothing to deter them from their ambition.

 

Ukai was dragging the ball cart towards the court they would be playing the next game, when he feels someone elbowing on his ribs. He turns his head sideways, only to spot Shimada trying to hide a smug smile. His eyebrows go up, passing his airline while he nods is head up, clearly looking past Ukai’s shoulder. He tries to follow his line of vision and seems to find what Shimada was looking at.

 

“Looks like you’re lover boy came after all.” he says.

 

“I thought you were on my side, man...” is Ukai’s reply, groaning already for the conversation that was about to come.

 

“I am” says Shimada, laughing from ear to ear “but I’ve seen your face when you text him... besides, it’s just so easy to mess with you!”

 

Ukai decides not to dwell on the first part of that statement. He has so much to focus on.

 

When he looks up, he finds Takeda looking back at him and when their eyes meet, the older student starts waving shyly, throwing him a small smile. There was someone besides him, another student, most likely his friend, that was probably dragged to see the game by Takeda. Unlike the former, this person doesn’t wave at him, but rather just gives him a short nod in order to acknowledge his presence. He does, however, call for Hirohito and Akio and waves to get their attention with more enthusiasm than Takeda. That confuses him for a bit, until he sees that Takeda is also waving to them and then he remembers that they were all in the same class.

 

He doesn’t know why that thought makes him feel a bit sad. Was he there because of him, or was he there simply to support everyone? He was, after all, the one that invited Takeda here, but the older student might have taken the invitation as a chance to meet with his friends outside of school. _He waved at me first though_ , Ukai thinks. _Would he have come without me inviting him?_

 

They eventually turn around and start warming up. The coach had yelled at them for that distraction. It was never a good idea to annoy the coach before a game.

 

 

(/=_=)/

 

 

“Alright, this is how things will go” says coach Ukai “they will serve first. That means, that in order for us to set a good pace and start well, we need a good defense line. That means the libero will be on 6 – center back row. Katsuo, I want a clean receive straight to the setter. Hirohito, you will be on 3, center front row. I don’t want you receiving unless the ball hits the net and fall directly on your feet. You ideally get the second touch, that means that everyone else will have to be on receiving duty and shield the setter. Akio, you will be on position 4 and Ryou, you will be on 2. When the formation changes, I better see those _amazing_ jump serves you’ve been practicing. Noboru, you get 5 and Yamato gets 1. Defense on a W formation! Kattsuo, most of the center of the court will be yours. 5 and 1, you get the balls that go really far back. Is everything clear?” asks the coach, finalizing his strategic speech.

 

“Yes, coach!” screams the entire team in unison.

 

“Win this game and we will all have ramen for lunch in the store across the street.” States coach Ukai in a form of encouragement. Taking the team out for lunch after a victory was a tradition they, and many other teams, had developed. Not only did it serve as a reward for the players’ hard work, but also as a motivation for them to do well in the game.

 

Also per tradition, Akio, the team captain, screams – “KARASUNO”

 

To which the entire teams replies – “FIGHT!”

 

 

(/o_o)/

 

 

Black was truly their color. For all the team’s banter and silliness outside of the court, when standing there on a game, the color only served to amplify their intimidating aura. It certainly made a clear and strong contrast to the light pink of the other team’s uniform.

 

In all fairness, both the teams were equally matched. There were no height imbalances, nor any ridiculously talented player. They had won the first set with 25-20, not a point difference to brag about, but still relatively comfortable. However, the same is not applying to the second set. There is no comfortable difference in both of the teams’ scores. In fact, there was no difference at all. The other team might not be extraordinary, but they were adaptable and Ukai could see that Karasuno would have to change their way of playing; they would have to do something in order to get a break.

 

Ukai was sitting on the edge of the bench, his notes forgotten a while ago. Despite not having a top player, the opposing team had a very good spiker, one that was able to do various forms of spike – straight, diagonal, long or short – and as such, it made it difficult to predict what he would do and to position themselves accordingly. Also, during the warm up, he noticed that their number 13 was an excellent server, but he hadn’t played yet. Perhaps he was a pinch server and would only be used during a dire situation, which was what they were facing at the moment. If Karasuno won this set, they would win the game. On the other hand, if the other team won, then there would be a third set to be played.

 

He couldn’t take his eyes of the court and neither could anyone else that was watching the game.

 

_Hirohito-senpai looks really tired..._

Suddenly, he feels something cold and hard hitting his thigh. He looks down and sees a medium sized rectangular plaque with a big number 2 written in the middle of it.

 

_Ah, a substitution... makes sense... change the game to see if we get a break._

It was at that moment he remembers Hirohito was the player number 2.

 

His head turns sideways and his eyes open wide in shock, begging the coach to deny what he thought that gesture meant.

 

_No_

_No no no no nononononono_

“Get up and go!” says the coach.

 

He quickly pulls his kneepads up and stands, stomach clenching and feeling much more dizzy than he should. He would’ve expected a warning, some sort of heads-up that would indicate that he would be playing that day, some sign in order to prepare himself mentally. He didn’t expect this.

 

He walks up to the sideline, head down, while the referee whistles, signaling a pause in the game. When he stops, he lifts his arm up, showing clearly the number written on the plaque.

 

He knows that the court is not silent. He knows that there is a lot of noise inside the gym, with one other game going on, but none of those sounds register in his head. All those noises fall on deaf hears and on his head, there is only blank static. Only that, until he feels a warm hand encircle his. Then does the sound come on again, hitting him like a train. Hirohito’s hand is warm and a little too sweaty to be comfortable, but unlike his, it was stable, unshaking. Ukai looks up and finds his senpai’s face looking firm and stern. If looks could kill, they would all be ash by that point.

 

The older setter forcefully tears the plaque from Ukai’s hand and angrily stomps over to the bench, plopping down next to the coach. His face betrayed how unhappy he felt by the decision that was being made.

 

That was not a comforting sign by Ukai’s standards. However, he gets pulled inside the court by the team captain, forcing his eyes to leave the scene happening on the bench. Akio lightly hits his head, muttering “Get you head in the game.”

 

Ukai assumes his position – front and center – and looks forward to the opposing team’s side of the court. He notices that they took the pause caused by Karasuno’s setter switch to do a substitution of their own. _Clever on their part_ , thinks Ukai, _if they want to keep playing they will need to pull of something magical to win this set._ Despite the decision making sense, Ukai almost wished they wouldn’t have changed anything. He was already used to the way the players at court played and he knew what to expect. However, what he saw brought him not comfort, but a sense of dread that kept getting bigger and bigger as the player grew closer and closer to the court.

 

It was number 13, whom Ukai guessed was the pinch server.

 

_Fuck…_

 

His face apparently betrayed the despair and dread he was feeling inside, because, upon seeing it, the feeling spread to his captain. He looked at Ukai with a growing alarm and fear, face clearly asking for an explanation.

 

“I’m not sure, but I think he’s the pinch server.”, states Ukai.

 

“And what types of serves does he do?” asked the captain.

 

“From what I saw, all of them – overhand, jump serve, float serve, topspin serve…”

 

“Ah…” Akio was trying to appear relax and unbothered, but that exhale, to Ukai, was a synonym of “We’re screwed.”

 

The referee blows his whistle. Someone behind Ukai screams “Positions!” and that’s exactly what Ukai does. He turns sideways, one eye looking to the server and paying attention to the ball and the other one looking to his team. His eyes accidentally gloss over the scoring boar - 23-22. Karasuno is barely winning. This point could decide the match: if they managed to score it, they would be on their match point with and advantage of 2 points, meaning they could win the set quickly on their 25th. However, if they lost the point, then there would be a tie meaning that the set would stretch until someone managed to get a 2 point advantage. Yeah, talk about pressure. That’s the reason why Ukai didn’t like to look to the score board when on the court. He is already under pressure, he doesn’t need any extra.

 

He swallows.

 

The whistle blows. The server takes his position.

 

He tosses the ball up and number 13 jumps a few seconds after. His hand hits the ball, making a clear and loud sound, and the ball flies over to their side of the court. It appears to have a straight trajectory, going directly towards Katsuo, the libero. However, on the last fraction of second, the ball changes route to the left and falls a bit short, scratching the libero’s forearms before hitting the ground.

 

_Fuck…_

From the faces of the other 5 members of his team inside the court, they were all thinking the same. No one said a word, making a clear contrast to the enormous sound being made on the other side of the net.

 

The whistle is blown again, and the server gets ready to serve. All eyes are on him.

 

He tosses the ball up and jumps.

 

_Ah, another float serve_ , Ukai thinks. His head turns, looking at Katsuo, feet ready to run if the need arises.

 

This time, the libero manages to predict the ball’s trajectory better. It hits the side of Katsuo’s right forearm and gets thrown outside of the court in a high arch. Ukai immediately starts sprinting, eyes never leaving the ball. He runs towards the bench and the people sitting there make themselves scarce. He puts his right foot on the bench and propels himself up, just high enough so that he can reach the ball and throw it behind him, hopefully in the general direction of the court.

 

He turns back and sees that the ball will fall short, not reaching the court. However, and fortunately, Ryou managed to foresee this and he was already running, trying to catch the ball. He dives bellow it, and turns, trying to pass the ball to the other side of the court.

 

It hits the red antenna and the referee gives the point to the other team. They are now on their match point.

 

“Nice save Ukai!” screams Akio, trying to lift the team morale “The set is not lost yet, we’ll just have to score now!”

 

The referee blows the whistle once again. Number 13 gets ready once again. His stance, however, is different.

 

A single drop of sweat rolls down from Ukai’s forehead along his nose, reaching the tip and falling to the floor.

 

The server throws the ball up, but much lower than the previous time. His arm, also, swings differently, hitting the ball from underneath and launching it almost vertically.

 

_Topspin… dammit…_

Everyone looks up, trying to follow the ball with their eyes. The problem here isn’t so much the route of the ball and more it’s speed. The ball falls nearly vertically and, for a couple of seconds, it appears that it will fall on top of the net. Ukai takes a step back, ready to receive it, but from the back he hears a loud “Mine!” from Katsuo and so, he quickly steps aside. The libero stretches his arms forward, gripping his hands tightly to prepare for the impact.

 

The sound it makes hitting his arms his so loud that for a moment he fears that some bones might be broken.

 

He should be more focused on the game and not on his teammate’s arms. Were he and he wouldn’t have received a ball to his face. Granted, Katsuo absorbed more of the strength upon impact, but it still hurt when it hit his face. From his face, the ball went upward and Akio had to dive to send it to the other side. Nevertheless, the ball falls on top of the net. A single touch from a player of the other team sends it back to their side.

 

Their defense was in disarray.

 

The ball touches the floor.

 

A thunderous cheer is heard from the other side of the net.

 

They had lost the set.


	12. Ah... but I want to  keep playing

They had lost the set.

 

_I lost the set._

 

There is no feeling worse than knowing you have failed the people that put their trust you. When coach Ukai put him inside the court, he and the rest of the team trusted Ukai to do his best. They trusted him to turn the set around and win it. And he had failed them. He didn’t know which was worse – knowing that he failed, knowing that the faith they had in him was unjustified or knowing that, in their eyes, he wasn’t good enough.

 

_I’m not good enough..._

_I wasn’t ready... why did they put me in?_

He blinked rapidly, trying to fend off the tears that were threatening to escape his eyes. Besides the profound sorrow and the deep anguish he was feeling, another emotion started to rise deep inside his chest. It was anger, a vigorous, red anger that was sprouting from his frustration. They had given him a chance to prove himself and he didn’t manage to do so. He didn’t have the opportunity to set properly and to show his skills developed through hard work. What pained him more than the idea of failure is that he probably wouldn’t have a chance to redeem himself any time soon.

 

_After this “wonderful” performance, I wouldn’t put myself out there as well..._

The team was enjoying the small break they had between sets to rehydrate. Ukai was already moving towards the bench, head down in a dejected mode and getting ready to sit down for the duration of the next set.

 

However, when he looks up ahead, he sees Hirohito sitting on the bench. That confuses him for a couple of seconds, as he had assumed he would not be playing after the last set’s disaster.

 

“Coach and I were talking.” he says, “He said he would keep the same line-up.”

 

 _He looks worried_ , Ukai thought. Ukai expected a lot of emotions to transpire on his senpai’s face – emotions like anger or jealousy, even some discontent towards him – but not worry.

_Don´t fool yourself... he is worried about the game, not about you. You saw the look he gave you when the referee called the substitution._

“Look, we don’t have much time to talk” states Hirohito, lifting his chin as if to prove his point. Ukai looks back, in the direction his senpai was point to. Indeed, he spots the referee signaling both team to enter the court as the break was finally over. “Look, we don’t have much time, but I just wanted to tell you that it was not your fault. The server was really good and there was little you could have done to change the tides in our favor. You did your best.” He looks like he wants to add more to his speech, but his mouth closes and his face scrunches, pondering if it was truly worth to say what he was thinking.

 

While he is hesitating on what to say, Ukai feels a hand slap his back and rest on his shoulder, clutching it. “Let’s go!” he hears his captain say.

 

“Good luck.” Hirohito says quietly “I’m rooting for you.”

 

Logically, according to the dialogue rules, Ukai deduced that he was talking to him. However, something deep inside him told him that wasn’t the case. Hirohito wasn’t looking at him when he said that last part. His eyes were focused somewhere above his left should, the same shoulder Akio was grabbing. Suddenly he felt like he was interrupting something, witnessing a scene he should not be seeing. He tried to flee from Akio’s large hand, turning around to make a run towards the court. Despite his efforts, Akio’s strong grip keeps him in his place. He looks sideways, trying to become invisible.

 

In all honesty, he needn’t to. The third years were barely acknowledging his presence, only looking at each other and acting like he wasn’t even there.

 

Akio clears his throat “Yeah... Uhmm, I’ll – I mean the team  will score lots of points.”

 

With one last look that Ukai decided not to think too long about, the ace and the setter turn and enter the court.

 

 

c(^~^)c

 

 

He goes to his assigned position – 2, front on the right side. Since they lost the previous set, they start this one by serving. Ryou takes his position and serves.

 

By all standards, it was a fairly good serve. It didn’t make a big arch that made receiving it easy. Instead, it went fairly straight in a downward low arch in the direction of the sidelines. Unfortunately, it wasn’t a service-ace. The other team’s libero caught it with relative ease and sent it to the setter.

 

In the meanwhile, Ukai had already switched his position and gone to the center, near the net. The ball flew over the net and landed with a loud sound on Katsuo’s forearms, sending it smoothly in the setter’s direction.

 

_Finally!_

 

He positions himself directly under the ball and when it touches the palms of his hands, he sends it backwards. Akio hits it on the highest point of its trajectory and spikes it straight down, not giving the receiving line any time to do its job.

 

It’s always nice for the team’s morale to score first after loosing the set. It was a much needed confidence boost.

 

_It felt perfect..._

 

For Ukai, there were little things, simple pleasures in life that made it worth living. One of those things was the feeling of doing a perfect set. The smooth slide of the ball against the rough skin of the palm of his hands; the perfect arch the ball described when leaving his palms; the way the movement made almost no sound and yet managed to grab all of his attention. More than that, there was no better feeling for a setter than to turn around, look up and see the spiker hitting the ball.

 

The whistle blowing, signaling the point, while Akio landed on the ground, victorious.

 

It was only a point, a single one, but from the roaring sounds coming from their side of the court – their team mates, the coach, the public watching – it felt like it was so much more. The way his chest filled with pride for such a simple move and his captain’s more than strong pat on the back fuelled this happiness even further.

 

Akio’s hand, just from those mere milliseconds of skin contact, felt like a burning furnace. Now Ukai understood. Now he understood what it was like to belong somewhere and to feel wanted and needed. It felt fitting that the feeling would derive from volleyball. That warmth and exhilaration, the ecstasy the sport brought him in the pass, now multiplied by a thousand. Now he understood that, more than ever, more than anything, he would want to continue playing volleyball for as long as he could. Now he understood why Hirohito-senpai, despite claiming not to feel the rush, kept on playing. Akio is the sun, warm and inviting, making others naturally gravitate towards him.

 

He looks sideways, trying to find Hirohito’s gaze. He finds it and they hold it for a meaningful moment, before the referee blows the whistle, quieting them down.

 

He formation shifts on their side and now it was Ukai’s turn to serve.

 

He wasn’t a particularly talented server, but he wasn’t bad either. He most certainly could throw the ball over the net and put it on the other side of the court, but to expect a spectacular service ace from him was perhaps putting their hopes too high.

 

So he serves. A sub-par seve in Ukai’s opinion, in the direction of the center of the court, not anywhere near the back or sidelines.

 

Fortunately for him, unfortunately for the his opponents, the ball falls in the middle of two players as none of them were quick enough to take the initiative, granting Karasuno the point. As the ball gets sent back to Ukai, he tries not to hear the frustrated scream coming from the other teams coach. A crass error on their part meant they gave Karasuno a point without them even having to work for it.

 

The whistle blows and he serves again. Despite scoring the previous point, it wasn’t because of any talent on his part, but a mistake on theirs, so he doesn’t feel any more confident. Actually, it makes him more nervous as it leaves him thinking how the play might have rolled out if the others were quicker to respond. The nerves make his hand shake on the last minute and the ball describes a trajectory that is clearly lower than the previous one.

 

The ball hits the net and, by sheer luck, bounces to the other side, dropping, almost vertically, near the net. Their setter, the player closest to where the ball was falling, dives and manages to catch it, but the ball gets catapulted to the net and then hits the ground with a loud _thud_.

 

Now that makes him smile. That leaves him proud and the cheers and the encouraging screams from his teammates saying “Good serve!” and “Give us another one!” only served to fuel his ego.

 

And so, he gets ready to serve again. He looks to the other side of the net and that’s when he notices that his opponent’s defense formation has moved forward, anticipating yet again another shorter serve. So he does what any smart person would do and aims towards the back line, trying to catch them unprepared.

 

Their libero, however, manages to anticipate that move, receiving it and directing the ball up. Somehow, the other team carries out the play and the ball gets thrown to their side of the court straight to Ukai, who receives it.

 

“Help!” he screams, knowing that he can’t set and hoping someone can. Ryou, now on position 6 in the court sets it, since he is the one closest to be ball. He isn’t a great setter though, and because of that the ball gets sent hazardly to the other side of the net.

 

It goes like that for a while, the ball going back and forward between the two teams, moves always shakily executed since no one managed to do a straight receive and coordinate a strong attack.

 

_Something’s gotta break and give in._

 

The tension rises higher each time the ball crosses the net. Ukai knows they have to break through. The players are too tense and the risk of messing up is getting bigger by the second.

So he takes a change and gambles a bit.

 

After Katsuo receives, the ball goes high towards the net.

 

_Too high and to close to the net._

 

He could set the ball, but risk touching the net and giving the point to the other team. So he does what any sensible setter would do and, with a simple and light touch, does a feint. Although a simple move, it was unpredictable given that both the teams were relying heavy of the spikers to get the ball through.

 

And so, just like that, the ball touches the floor, the whistle blows and they score the point.

 

It’s only their fourth point, but that play felt like it lasted for hours. The players from both sides finally breath out, relaxed. Ukai can’t even process the pats on the back or the congratulation from his teammates. His heart is beating so fast and his respiration is so loud that that is all his mind can focus on. Other than that, it’s completely blank.

 

The whistle blows once again and Ukai is turning back, getting ready to serve when he spots the referee signaling for a substitution. He looks sideways and sees Hirohito standing on the other side of the line.

 

_Ah... but I want to keep playing._

 

 

/( ‘-_-‘)\

 

 

They end up winning the game and Ukai can’t feel happier. Not only because he helped in the process, but also because it was a genuinely exciting match to watch.

 

They thanked the other team for the game, thanked the audience watching and lazily walked back to the locker room, in no rush to change their clothes.

 

During the walk, Ukai received many congratulations from the rest of the team and especially from his friends. He found it flattering, but it also left him a bit embarrassed. There were more people that had played during more time than him. However, he was the only one that was receiving compliments and pats on the back besides the general “Well done, you all did great” speech that was given by the coach and that has been circulating through the mouths of everyone. He was the only one that had been put under a spotlight. Perhaps it was because it was his _premiere_ as an high school volleyball player. Whatever the reason, it was leaving him uncomfortable, as he wasn’t used to so much attention.

 

“Ukai, can I have a word with you?” someone asks.

 

The setter gets a bit baffled by the serious and quiet tone of the question, making a clear contrast with the loud boisterous voices heard everywhere across the locker room. He was in the middle of pulling off his sweat-soaked shirt and the request makes him flay his arms around like a fool, collar stuck around his neck. When he manages to get it off, the looks around and the only person he sees looking at him his Hirohito. With that, he deduces he was the one asking him the question and so he gives him a small nod in return.

 

He dresses slowly, perhaps too slowly to be considered normal, but the tone of Hirohito’s voice and the solemn look in his eyes left him with the impression that it might be in his best interest not to have anyone around when they talk.

 

The players slowly filter out of the changing room until there are only the two of them left. Akio is the last one to leave, giving his setter a long look as if to transmit some message.

 

“I’ll be waiting outside.” he says.

 

As the door is banging shut, Ukai sits in a bench perpendicular to the one Hirohito was sat. He chose that one precisely because of the location – it allowed him to look at the older student but, if need arises, he could look away without it seeming too obvious or awkward.

 

“This shouldn’t take to long, they are waiting for us to be leave so we can all go get ramen” he starts saying, smiling a little bit at the last part “I just wanted to say I’m sorry.”

 

Without meaning to, a small questioning and puzzled noise leaves his mouth, his face looking up towards the older student and showing, in a not so discreet fashion, the same confusion the noise betrayed.

 

“On the second set, when you entered,” he continues “ and I left... the way I looked at you... I’m sorry.” He looks down, as if ashamed by his past behavior “I just wanted you to know that I’m not mad at you, neither do I resent you for replacing me. I warned you that it would happen and, to be honest, I was in a bad shape at the time. The problem wasn’t you. I was, and frankly still am, mad at the coach. He shouldn’t have done that to you. When we talked about slowly introducing you to the court so you could eventually replace me, I thought we were going to do that, well... slowly. When we were winning by a wide margin so that even if you screwed up, it wouldn’t be too bad. What he did was just mean to you. He threw you to the wolves. It was a crucial moment in the set and there was a lot at stake. And he just threw you in... and then you lost the set and-” he pauses and breaths in.

 

He could finally breath in peace. He didn’t even know that the thought was bothering him until Hirohito expressed it out loud. He wanted to play, but he didn’t want to steal the position from anyone, especially anyone more deserving than him. He didn’t know it, but he needed to hear that. He needed to hear that from Hirohito.

 

“Thank you, I needed that.” He didn’t know why he said it out loud and Hirohito seemed as confused as he was, but he proceeded “The team took care of me. You built a great team... they were great – Akio was great. You were right, it’s amazing to play next to him.”

 

Ukai thinks this is probably the first time he has ever looked his senpai in his eyes, really looked at him and searched in his gaze the confirmation that he was paying attention. He wanted to make sure he transmitted in appreciation and honest thanks. He gives what he hopes to be a kind smile and it must have made his message clear, as Hirohito smiles shyly in return, a small blush creeping up his cheeks.

 

He grabs his bag, hoists it up his shoulder. “We’ll be waiting for you outside” he states, as he starts retreating towards the door.

 

When he opens the door, two things catch his attention. First, he notices Akio in the corner of his eye re-entering the locker room. That thought, however, gets quickly casted aside by the second thing he sees. Right in front of him, he sees Shimada and Takinoue talking to Takeda and his friend.

 

A huge red flag starts waving in his head.

 

However, the loud horn of alarm and panic ringing in his head quickly calms down as he realises that the sight, more than anything warms his heart. He realizes that, even though his middle school friends and Takeda were bit parts of his life, they were so separately. Sure Shimada and Takinoue knew of Takeda. Hell, they had teased him plenty about it. The same way, Takeda knew of his friends and of his passion for volley. Despite that, those two worlds had never met until now. He never really realized it was a problem until he saw it resolved. Only now did he understand that he was treating Takeda like, not so much a secret, but more like something private, something only him had access to. It felt like he was living a double life – there was the real life Ukai and then there was the Ukai that interacted with Takeda, showing him a new side that perhaps only him had ever seen. Now, seeing all his friends together it made him feel happy and complete again. He didn’t feel sad that his little secret was revealed or possessive that he would now have to share him with his other friends. No, he just felt whole.

 

Takeda is the first one seeing him approaching and he detaches himself from the others, walking towards him and smiling that big smile of his, bright like the sun.

 

“You did really well today, Ukai-kun” he says, his eyes looking at him with admiration “I’m proud of you.” At this, something that Ukai cannot identify crosses his eyes. His smaller dainty hand comes up and Takeda wraps his cold fingers around the setter’s warm wrist “Come. We were talking about you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, hello there.
> 
> This chapter didn't take as long to publish as the previous one... however, I can't say that will be the norm. At least not for the foreseeable future. You see, the reason why I rushed to post this now was because I'm about to enter the final weeks of my semester and I have so much to do... it's stressing. And after, that, with only 4 days of break (weekends included) my exams will start... yay...
> 
> So I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I hope you will have the patience to wait for me until my exams are finished. Don't forget this fanfic, please.
> 
> In the meantime, please leave a comment and tell me what you think of it so far. Favourite line? favourite moment? Favourite character? I live for those mails ao3 sends with "someone left you kudos" or " someone left you a comment"


	13. An old married couple or a bunch of kids?

The rest of the Inter High went on in the same fashion – Ukai, although neither a starter nor a regular, would always play for a little. As the time progressed, that little time he spent on the court started to stretch and become a while, until he finds himself sharing as much play time as Hirohito-san, who is still the team’s main setter. Ukai wouldn’t want it otherwise. They were preparing him to take the older student’s place when he eventually leaves, not to replace him while he is still there. He should end his time on the team as a regular, in the spotlight.

 

 _Let him have it_ , thought Ukai, _my time will come later._

To Ukai’s amazement and delight, they went to the next round in Tokyo. In the end, they didn’t win, but just the experience, the journey there was, in his opinion, worth it. Sure, their main goal there was to play and to win, but Ukai found himself enjoying the downtime as much as he enjoyed playing. The friends he made from other teams, the meals, those moments before the curfew when they could just lie in their pajamas and talk and even the impromptu trip to the shopping center to get some snacks, everything would be engraved in his mind as memories from his first trip as a high school student with his friends. Even Takeda and his friend, who became a staple at their games on the crowd cheering for Karasuno came to Tokyo to root for them.

 

Surprisingly, no one was terribly sad when they lost. Sure, there were tears. Sure, there was a feeling of disappointment and _not good enough_ , but instead of it bringing them down and weighting on them, it made them even more riled up, even more determined to practice harder when they get home. The sadness didn’t last long. He felt the coach was more letdown by the fact they would not be playing against Nekoma, their rivals, than by the fact that they didn’t win. Ukai had never seen them playing, much less played against them, but by the tension between both the team’s coaches, the event was a much anticipated one and he found himself wanting to face the other team to see if they lived up to the expectations.

 

Since they had already paid for the rooms, the team stayed for an extra two days to watch the final game. After that, they packed their bags and embarked on the train to Miyagi, towards home.

 

Summer vacation was just around the corner and with that came around four weeks of having absolutely nothing to do.

 

_Well, not nothing..._

 

Even though school ended and as such all club activities were suspended for the time, the team had agreed to meet during that period of time in order not to get rusty. A lot could change in a month. The practices were unofficial ones and since the school grounds were closed, they couldn't use the school gym.

 

That would not be a problem. There was a park nearby the school that, although lacking a volley court, had plenty of space to work out and practice some technical moves, to develop new strategies. After a while Ryou even suggested bringing some rope and tie each end to a tree branch in order to simulate the height of a volleyball net.

 

The rhythm of these practices was remarkably slower than the official ones with the coach. There wasn’t any rush or any deadline to pressure them, other than the want to stay fit and the desire to keep playing. The workout wasn’t as intense due to the absence of the coach. Their breaks, although not meant to be that way, stretched for more time than it was necessary, as they all got distracted chatting. Only Hirohito, now completely retired and pretending to coach them, was able to make them go back.

 

Other than that, his days were spent lazing around, meeting with Shimada and Takinoue, playing video games and going to Sendai just for a change of pace.

 

On one of those days, the three teenagers were laying in Ukai’s living room, supposedly to watch a movie, although none of them had made a decision on which one yet. None of them seemed to want or to be able to make a decision. The heat of the summer months in Japan was unbearable and they were more likely to melt in the couch, in front of the single hardworking but insufficient fan, than to make any decision anytime soon.

 

“What if we go to the pool?” suggests Shimada, tiredly, as if just the act of speaking was a burden, a chore for him.

 

“What pool?” asks Takinoue “None of us has a pool in their houses.”

 

“The town pool, you dumbass!” answers Shimada, sounding annoyed.

 

“Please, no...”, interjects Ukai.

 

“Why not? Would you rather melt in the couch?” says Shimada with an outraged tone.

 

“Well no, it’s just th-”

 

“Then great, let’s go to the pool!”

 

“Can I finish? Dammit...” interrupts Ukai “I was going to say that probably half the town had the same idea. I bet that if we went there, it would be super crowded – barely enough room to lay down our towels and impossible to move, much less swim in the pool.”

 

Both Shimada’s and Takinoue’s faces went from ready to start an argument to dejected in less than a second. That was something that hadn’t gone through their minds.

 

“Well,” starts Shimada, seemingly defeated but not wanting to give up on his idea just yet “I’d still rather go to an overcrowded pool than to melt here...”

 

They all go quiet at that, as they know that any body of cold water is preferable to the deathly heat surrounding them. However, none of them is too keen to actually getting there and feeling the uncomfortable with that many people gathered in a limited space and the body heat that comes with that.

 

Suddenly, Takinoue’s head pops up, excited by the idea that just crossed in his mind.

 

“What if we go to the beach?” he says, an excited smile forming on his face.

 

“The beach?”

 

“Yes, yes! The beach!” answers Takinoue, growing more excited with each word that comes out of his mouth “Like, think about it! Tomorrow is Thursday, so you don’t have a lot of families going there, since the parents are working, and teenagers will probably just go to the town pool, so there shouldn’t be that many people there. I mean it might come out a bit more expensive, since you have to pay for the train rides, but I think it’s worth it. Also, with more space, we can always take a volley ball and play a bit without being afraid to hit someone!”

 

The longer he spoke, the more believable and feasible the idea became. The more he spoke, the more his excitement permeated his friends who in return, were also getting up, a barely contained buzz in their movements and a new light in their eyes.

 

“The train ride is almost an hour though” adds Shimada in a sorry tone, as if the idea of getting inside a jam-packed train was too much for him to bare.

 

“I mean, we don’t have to go first thin in the morning” states Ukai, trying to boost the morale back up again “ We can always go at 10, after the morning train commute to work. It gets us enough time to prepare some snacks and gather our things... it also means we can probably find some seats and not be squished against other sweaty and smelly people. Also, we can come back after the sunset and avoid the evening rush back home.”

 

With each word, their excitement grew. Suddenly, from an afternoon of procrastination and lazing around without doing anything at all an idea grew, future plans that might save them not only form the boredom, but also from the unbearable heat.

 

“Ah, Takinoue, I could almost kiss y-” exclaims Shimada, who quickly gets interrupted by Takinoue screaming, “Oh God, please don’t!”

 

Shimada decides to ignore that and proceeds “I mean, that head might be as hollow as a balloon, but from time to time, something great can come out of it”

 

“Yeah!” agrees Takinoue. Only when Shimada starts laughing, does the meaning of his words set in his mind “Wait, what?”

 

 

 

*\\(#-#)/*

 

 

 

They get in the train at 10:15 am.

 

Their looks mistake no one about where they’re heading to – from the sunglasses they have perched on top of their heads, to the cooler by their feet and the two parasols they had slinged on their shoulders.

 

Fortunately, the train stops a couple of streets away from the beach – not a long walk at all – and so, after a little longer than an hour, they arrive to the beach.

 

The white sand is warm, almost scalding. The sea is of the most intense shade of blue and so inviting for them that they can’t put their things down fast enough. It slightly cools the air around them and it permeates it with that salty and fresh smell, so characteristic of the seaside. That view was for Ukai what seeing an oasis in the middle of the desert was for a parched person. The beach was somewhat empty, with the occasional pair of parasols sticking out of the sand. It had plenty of room for them, just like they predicted, enough room to be able to walk carelessly without accidentally throwing sand on someone.

 

As soon as they set their things down, opened their parasols and rolled out their towels, the three friends sprinted towards the sea and as soon as their feet hit water they dove right into it.

 

All in all, they made a pretty ridiculous sight. The sea level, when standing up, barely reached their knees and so they looked more like a group of excited children on their first trip to the beach then high school students.

 

After a while, when the sun beat higher in the sky and the skin of their fingers was wrinkled like a raisin, they come out of the water to dry on their towels.

 

“Look, I don’t want to be the mum friend, but what about sunscreen?” asks Ukai. Even though he is the one proposing it, he doesn’t even lift his head from his crossed arms, he doesn’t move a single muscle nor does he appear to want to get up from his lying down position.

 

“Don’t be lazy!” exclaims Takinoue “Go get it yourself.”

 

He doesn’t even lift his head. His right arm stretches sideways and starts groping the objects beside him, hoping to grab his backpack.

 

After a couple of fruitless seconds, Shimada sighs, growing frustrated by such lazy attempt.

 

“Ugh, where did you put it?” he questions, clearly not wanting to move, but recognizing that they needed the protection from the sun if they wanted to leave the place with their skin unburned.

 

“Somewhere in my bag.” is the answer he gets from Ukai, half muffled since he still hadn’t lifted his head from the towel.

 

Ukai hears shuffling noises that he deduces to come from Shimada looking in his bag. The first thing he throws out is the volley ball that was resting right at the top of everything. The ball gets thrown over his shoulders, Shimada clearly expecting it to softly land in the towel. Instead, they hear a loud sound, as if the ball had hit something denser than the sand surrounding them, followed by the noise of it skidding on the ground far away from them. The sound of the bigger grains of sand falling down reminded them of the one produced by little raindrops hitting the ground when muffled by a window.

 

The loud scream that followed wasn’t as relaxing as he previous noise.

 

At that, Ukai quickly spring up, turning around to face his friends.

 

“Dude, what the hell happened?” he asks.

 

“It was an accident!” Takinoue aggressively whispers back at him. Pointing at Shimada, he continues “He threw the ball over his shoulder and I tried to stop it from rolling too far away, b-”

 

“With your foot?” asks Shimada, exasperated.

 

“YES” answers the middle blocker, annoyed with his friends’ undeserved anger “with my foot! But, I miscalculated and I accidentally kicked it!”

 

“How do you accidentally kick something?” questions Shimada loudly, his face and hand gestures betraying the frustration he felt inside.

 

“I don’t know! It was more of a reflex thi-”

 

“Could you two stop arguing like an old married couple?” interrupts Ukai, more irritated by the childish exchange than anything.

 

“Well,” starts Shimada “first of all...”

 

“We might be the old married couple” proceeds Takinoue “but you are still the mum of the group.” At the reference of the sentence that started this whole mess, a sly smirk starts forming on his lips.

 

“Well, I don’t want to be the mum... can I at least be the dad?” asks Ukai, half-jokingly, in order to put a damp in the rising tension of the conversation.

  

“Ukai...” says Takinoue, now full on giggling, with a hand trying to cover his smile as if something scandalous was about to come out of them. By the mischievous glint in his eyes, that thought wasn’t too far-fetched “I didn’t know you were one of those with the daddy ki-”

 

“IT’S NOT LIKE THAT!” he screams.

 

He jumps up. Between continuing to face the brutal teasing from his friends and facing the possibly enraged person that got a sand bath earlier, Ukai would mush rather face the fury of an unknown stranger. And so, he turns around and starts walking towards the ball’s landing site, running away from his friends.

 

“Wait mum, don’t abandon us!” screams Shimada, bursting out laughing right after. Ukai stops and turns around to listen to his friends.

 

“He can’t be the mum,” says Takinoue, in between bursts of giggles, with the tone of someone who was explaining something basic to an idiot “he doesn’t have the bod... he’s clearly the daddy here!” he adds, laughing so hard that his entire body shakes and tears run down from his cheeks.

 

“Are you saying that I have a dad bod?” he asks, eyebrow going up in incredulity.

 

The laughing now just seemed unending.

 

“A dad bod is very different from a d-”

 

Realizing that nothing good would come out of his friends’ mouths at the moment, he turns around and promptly ignores the end of that sentence.

 

In large and resolute steps, he starts getting closer and closer to his destination. Upon further inspection, he notices that the unfortunate victim of Takinoue’s kick appears to belong to a group of students near his age and not a family enjoying a beach day.

 

_Thank God it didn’t hit a little kid or their parents... high school students are much more forgiving and understanding. Parents, on the other hand, can be a pain in the ass..._

He spots the boy closest to the ball shaking the sand off of his body and hair and for a couple of seconds, Ukai cringes inward, but relaxes when he doesn’t see any anger in his eyes. His friends, much like the friends Ukai left behind, were laughing, albeit more quietly, at the entire situation.

 

When he is within ear-range and close enough to see their faces he says: “Hey! I’m sorry about all of this... it was an accident. A friend of mine had a knee-jerk reaction and he – ”

 

He doesn’t finish the second, because the person scrubbing the sand off of his hair turns around and looks at him. Recognition strikes on both of the boys’ eyes, as Ukai sees a pair of deep brown chocolate eyes he didn’t expect to see today.

 

“Ukai-kun?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder who that is? *insert Lenny face here*
> 
> I'm sorry for the long wait, but I hope it was worth it.  
> I was planning on this being longer, but I was afraid that I wouldn't finish it by the end of this week (this Saturday I'll go on vacations with my friends... finally... but that means I won't have time to write). I though it would be better to divide what I had in mind in 2 smaller parts and publish the first one now, to show you that I'm still alive and writing. I will try to finish the 2nd part as quickly as I can.
> 
> Honestly, I'm still surprised by the amount of people that have read this and I hope many of you come back to check on the progress of my little baby. As always, thank you for the kudos and comments!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello, lovely people that have read this! 
> 
> This is my first ever fanfic... yes, when one is so desperate and frustrated due to the lack of content of one of their favourite ships, one must create it with their bare hands.
> 
> My tumblr is phoebeseb
> 
> From now on I will live solely for your comments, so please be nice and I'll see you next chapter!


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